


Camelot Records

by FeelsandFandoms



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Music Store, Based on Empire Records, F/M, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Reincarnation, Singer Arthur Pendragon, set in the 1990s
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-28
Updated: 2014-08-28
Packaged: 2018-02-14 17:22:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 26,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2200401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeelsandFandoms/pseuds/FeelsandFandoms
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s Arthur Pendragon day at Camelot Records. The employees of the little music shop thought it would only be a day of putting up with crazed fans. They soon realize the day will turn out to be something entirely different when they begin to remember their shared past.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Camelot Records

**Author's Note:**

> **Arthur Note 9/16/2015:** This has been weighing on me for a while and this fic has been getting attention lately so I felt like I better say this now. I do not like this fic, particularly second half and ending. I'm not going to get in it too much but I'm embarrassed, ashamed, and uncomfortable by things I wrote in this and how certain characters were portrayed. I would really appreciate it if you wouldn't leave any kudos and/or comments on this fic because it makes me uncomfortable. I would just delete it but since it was part of a bang and is partnered with someone's artwork, I can't take it down. Thank you.
> 
>  
> 
> Art Masterpost [here](http://puckboum.livejournal.com/24338.html). The rest of the art will be added there and here in the fic. We're both having some internet issues today.
> 
>  
> 
> First, I would like to give a huge thank you to the lovely [puckboum](http://puckboum.livejournal.com/) for putting up with me throughout the writing process while I took forever to finish the fic. You’ve been wonderful to work with and I’m in love with you art. I would love to have your poster on my wall.
> 
> Second, I want to thank my beta [argentsleeper](http://argentsleeper.livejournal.com/). She helped me whip this fic into shape with fixing all the plot holes and catching the commas I forgot. Thank you so much!
> 
> Third, I want to thank [digthewriter](http://digthewriter.livejournal.com/) for finding and sending the script to the movie. It was a tremendous help and a time saver. 
> 
> And of course, I would like to thank the mods running this whole Bang. I’ve wanted to write this fic for a while and signing up for this Bang helped force me to write it. If not, it probably would never have been finished.
> 
> And last but certainly not least, I want to thank my amazing friend Nelson. I wouldn’t have been able to finish this without your cheerleading me through the whole writing process and reading over all the snippets I constantly sent you.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the show Merlin and its characters as well as the movie Empire Records. Everything belongs to their respective owners.

Merlin sat on the couch in Gaius’ office mumbling to himself. He was going over the rules for closing since this was his first night closing alone. He didn’t want to screw this up. Merlin was startled when the office door unexpectedly opened. He was sure everyone was already gone for the evening. It was nearly midnight. 

“Gaius?” a woman’s voice said. 

Merlin rose from the couch and saw who it was. “Morgana?” 

Morgana was just as surprised to see Merlin there instead of her boss. “Merlin? What are you doing? Where’s Gaius?”

“He’s not here tonight. He’s letting me close the shop tonight.”

Morgana looked away from Merlin, unhappy with his answer. She looked like she was about to cry. 

Merlin took a step toward Morgana and was surprised when she backed away from him. “Is everything okay, Morgana? You can talk to me if you need to,” he offered. 

Morgana shook her head, “No, it’s okay. It’s just something I needed to talk to Gaius about. But thanks… I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

Before Merlin could say anything else, Morgana turned and left. He had noticed a change in her over the past couple of months, but she wouldn’t talk to anyone about it. He wanted to go after her but realized it was midnight and he needed to start closing up. He would have to try and talk to her tomorrow. 

After Merlin had counted the shop’s money for the first time, he heard banging at the front door. Since it was past midnight and the shop was closed, Merlin didn’t see the need to see who was there. He remained in the chair, hoping the person would leave but they only continued. Merlin grumbled as he left Gaius’ office and walked through the employee lounge. Late customers were never fun to deal with. Merlin was surprised to see that the person was an older man. He had figured it would have been a teenager or someone younger. The man stopped knocking when he saw Merlin approach. 

Without opening the door, Merlin said through it, “Sorry sir, but it’s past midnight and we’re closed.”

“I see that, but I’m in need of something. I’ll only be in for a moment. I won’t take long.”

Merlin stared at the man for a moment. He didn’t seem like the type who would try and rob him so he unlocked the door and let the man enter. And if the man did try something, Merlin did have a few tricks up his sleeve. That is if it decided to work tonight. 

“Thank you,” the man said as he entered. 

“So, what can I help you find?” The quicker Merlin got the man out of the store, the quicker he could go home.

“What’s your name?” the man asked, ignoring Merlin’s question.

“Uh, Merlin.”

The man nodded and smiled a little. “That’s a name you don’t come by often. I knew a Merlin once, a very long time ago.”

“No, it’s not.” Merlin wasn’t sure what was going on this man. Maybe he was just lonely and walked someone to talk with.

The man turned away from Merlin and began looking around at the racks of CDs. As he did, Merlin noticed a tattoo of a gold dragon on his neck. 

“That’s a cool tattoo you have,” he said without thinking.

The man glanced back at Merlin and smirked. “Thank you. I have a love for dragons.”

“I like them too. My father used to collect them from what my mum told me.” Why was Merlin telling this stranger this? That wasn’t like him. But even though Merlin had never seen this man before in his life, he felt familiar. Merlin couldn’t explain why.

Before Merlin could ask again what the man needed, the man pointed at a sign next to the cash register. “Arthur Pendragon is coming to this shop tomorrow?”

Merlin glanced at the sign then back to the man, “Yes, he’s coming for a signing.”

“Have you met him before?”

Merlin laughed, “No, why would I have met that prat before? I’m fine not knowing him.”

“I’m sure you will change your mind about that tomorrow. You two are destined to meet, just like the stories of King Arthur and his sorcerer Merlin.”

At this point Merlin realized this old man was not completely right in his mind and he had wasted enough time with him. “Very funny. It’s not like I haven’t heard that one before. Now, I don’t mean to be rude, but I’ve got to close up. Is there anything that I can do for you?”

“I just have one question that I need you to consider, Merlin Emrys. Do you think the story is already written? Or do you think a bold and courageous act can change the course of history?”

Merlin looked at the man confused. Without another word, the man turned and left the store. “What the hell was that all about?” Merlin asked out loud as he locked the door. He couldn’t wait to tell Gwen about this next day. He would tell his other friends, but they would probably laugh at him and his luck.

Merlin returned to the office to count the money for a second time. He wanted to hurry on home before anything else strange happened. As he counted, he couldn’t stop thinking about the man’s question. It was such an odd thing to ask someone; especially the stranger. While he wrote down the totals, the pencil tip broke. Merlin opened the drawer of Gaius’ desk to look for a sharper or another pencil when something else caught his eye. He hesitated for a moment, debating whether he should take a look or not. The obvious answer was no so Merlin pulled the papers out and looked them over.

It was some kind of business proposal. Merlin flipped through the pages and came to the end. It was a picture of the record shop but it was different. Where the sign should have said “Camelot Records”, it read “Music Town.” 

“This can’t happen. How could they sell this place?” Merlin couldn’t believe it. He laid the papers down on the desk in front of him as he thought what he just read. He loved this little shop. It was like a second home to him. He didn’t want it to be turned into some chain store because it would change everything. 

In that moment, Merlin knew exactly what he was going to. He was going to save Camelot. “In the immortal words of The Doors, ‘the time to hesitate is through.’” He stuck the proposal papers back in the drawer before rising from the chair. He stuffed all of the day’s money into a bag, grabbed his jacket and quickly left on his motorcycle to the nearest gambling house. 

Merlin had his magic. Granted, he was still learning to control it and sometimes it wouldn’t work when he wanted it to, but he was determined to make it work for him tonight. He knew it was wrong to use his powers like this, but this was for the greater good. This wasn’t for himself but for his friends.

Merlin reached his destination. After exchanging his money for the chips, he walked into the main room. He walked around until he found the game he was looking for, craps. There were already five other players around the table. 

No one noticed him walk up until the worker spoke, “End of roll. New roller! Place your bets, please. Get your bets down.”

Merlin placed all of his chips down on the table. The worker raised an eyebrow at him, “We have a high roller.”

“£9,104, I counted it. Twice,” Merlin announced. 

The other players at the table looked him up and down, trying to figure out where a kid like him got that amount of money from. 

“No more bets, please. Put your bets down,” the worker said.

No one said anything as the worker pushed the dice toward Merlin. He picked them up and shook them in his hand. “Do I just throw it and get a seven?”

“That would be very good, sir.”

“Feeling lucky?” an older man asked Merlin.

“I'm guided by a force much greater than luck.” Merlin brought the dice up to his lips and whispered “seven” before tossing them across the table. 

Everyone watched as they hit the end of the table and landed on seven. “Seven! A Winner!”

The other players cheered for Merlin’s “lucky” roll, and he couldn’t help but smile. 

“Same lucky shooter, get your bets down.” 

Merlin picked the dice up again and thought for a moment. “You know what? Let it ride.”

The other players were quiet. The worker shook his head; it wasn’t the first time he saw a risky move like this, “Hot dice coming out.”

“That's an £18,000 bet. Sure you know what you're doing, kid?” the same older man asked Merlin. 

Merlin looked around at the players, “I know this, that if I win this roll, I will save the place that I work from being sold and the jobs of my friends that work there. Thus striking a blow at all that is evil and making this world a better place to live in.” The others looked at him like he was crazy. “And I'll buy you guys a drink,” he quickly added, causing them to cheer. 

He held the dice up. “Gaius, this one’s for you.” He whispered “seven” again and threw the dice. 

Unlike the first time, his magic didn’t work and the dice landed on two. The players groaned. “Two. Craps. End of roll,” the worker said.

Merlin stayed rooted in his spot, staring disbelievingly at the dice and not quite comprehending what just happened. He couldn’t believe he lost. That wasn’t supposed to happen. He finally snapped back to reality when he saw the worker slid his chips away from him. He just lost all of the shop’s daily income. Merlin slowly turned away from the table and made his way out to the street. The only thing he knew he couldn’t do know was return to the home he shared with Gaius.

  


The next morning, as Lance and Gwaine were waiting for Gaius to arrive, they found an interesting sight in the alley next to the shop, Merlin asleep on his motorcycle. The two stood over him before deciding to wake him up. 

“Hey, Merlin,” Lance said but Merlin kept on sleeping. “Hey, Merlin, wake up!” he said repeated louder as he shook his shoulder. 

Merlin awoke with a start and almost fell off his bike. Lance and Gwaine watched him for a moment as he processed where he was and what was going on. 

“What happened, Merlin? Why are you sleeping out here?” asked Lance, looking concerned.

“Something happened to me last night in The Rising Sun.”

Lance and Gwaine exchanged glances. That was somewhere they didn’t expect Merlin to go. 

“Did you win anything?” Gwaine asked as he turned to look back at Merlin. 

Merlin sighed, “No, I did not.” The other two didn’t reply as Merlin started up his bike. “If you’d like to know, it was nice knowing you,” he added.

“Ah man, how much, Merlin?” Lance asked.

Merlin ignored the question. “I don’t regret the things I’ve done but those I did not do!” he shouted as he pulled away, leaving Lance and Gwaine to watch him drive down the road. 

They stood in silence for a moment until Lance exclaimed “Shit! Oh shit!” 

“What is it?” asked Gwaine as they walked toward the front door.

“Well, Merlin doesn’t have any money and Gaius left him alone to close the shop last night.”

It took Gwaine a moment to piece things together. “Oh, I guess he didn’t live up to the responsibility of the position.”

“Shut up, here comes Gaius. Don’t say anything about this to him.” Lance wanted to help his friend out and not letting Gaius find out would be for the best. “Good morning, Gaius,” he greeted with a smile. 

Gaius stopped in front of the door and fiddled with his keys. 

“What’s with the posh clothes?” Gwaine asked, noticing the older man was dressed fancier than normal.

“It’s Arthur Pendragon Day,” he grumbled as he unlocked the door. Lance and Gwaine tried to hold in their laughter but weren’t very successful as they entered the store. Gaius ignored them as he followed in behind them. He was not looking forward to this day and already wanted it to be over. 

Once they were all in, the phone rang. “Gwaine! Phone,” Gaius ordered.

Gwaine walked behind the counter and answered it. “Camelot Records, open ‘til midnight, this is Gwaine.” He listened for a moment before lowering the phone, “It’s the bank.” He handed the phone over to Gaius.  
The phone rang again and Gwaine answered it. “Camelot…oh sorry, Camelot Records, open ‘til midnight, this is Gwaine.” Gwaine’s eye’s widened as he glanced to Gaius. He put the call on hold, “It’s the boss.”

Gaius told the bank he would call them back and switched over to the other line. Lance and Gwaine took this as their opportunity to escape to the employee lounge. They knew their boss would not be in a good mood after being yelled at by Uther Pendragon. Lance sat in his usual spot at the table he liked to draw at while Gwaine jumped onto the back of the couch and grabbed a magazine to look at. They both kept their eyes on the door, waiting for Gaius. When he finally stormed in, they both pretended to be occupied to avoid eye contact.

Gaius didn’t even look at them as he walked through the room straight across to the safe room, unlocking the safe to find it empty. This didn’t make any sense to Gaius. He closed the safe as he thought about what could have happened to the money. Gaius trusted Merlin, there was no way he could or would have stolen the money. He walked over the TV and security system. Could Merlin have been robbed? He didn’t come home last night but that wasn’t atypical since he was an adult after all. But normally Merlin let Gaius know he wasn’t coming home that night. 

Gaius rewound the tape from the footage of the front door. When he saw nothing happen there, he switched to the back door. It was nearly one when Merlin exited the shop. Gaius was thankful Merlin hadn’t been robbed but where was the money? Did something happen on the way to deposit the money at the bank? He had no way of knowing unless he could get in touch with Merlin. Now on top of worrying about Merlin, Gaius had to think of handle the missing money situation. As he exited, his gaze fell upon Lance and Gwaine. 

“What’s wrong, Gaius?” Lance asked, offering him an innocent smile.

Gaius ignored him as he made his way over to his office and shutting himself to figure how to deal with the situation.

  


Gwen rushed around the house making sure she had everything she needed to take with her. The cupcakes were done and she popped a number five shaped candle into one of them. Elyan entered the kitchen, “What are you doing?”

“Just getting ready for work,” she replied has she put the lid over the container and made sure it was secure.

“Why are you going in so early?”

“It’s Arthur Pendragon Day! If I go in when I’m scheduled, I’ll probably miss him, and I’m not going to let that happen.”

Elyan laughed as he started to make himself breakfast. “No, we can’t let that happen.”

Gwen glared at her brother and he stopped laughing. “My cab should be here soon so I’m going to wait outside. I’ll see you later this afternoon.” Elyan waved bye as she picked up her cupcakes and purse. The cab arrived within minutes she was on her way to work, ready to meet her celebrity crush.

  


Back at the Camelot Records, Lance found himself alone with Gaius in the lounge while Gwaine did who knows what out in the shop. He knew Gaius was dealing with his own problems but he needed the older man’s advice and this would probably be his only chance to ask. 

“Gaius, I need to ask you for some advice, is that okay?” Gaius didn’t answer as he flipped over the couch cushions so Lance took that as his chance to continue. “You know a lot about love and women and that sort of thing…” Gaius straightened up and walked toward the employee lockers. “Oh yes, my wife left me for another woman and my girlfriend forced me to leave at gunpoint. Does this qualify me?”

“Definitely,” Lance replied without hesitation, “I’ve decided today’s the day that I’ll tell Gwen how I feel about her. I know what you’re thinking, but I really am. I’ve been working here off and on for five years, so…” he trailed off as he thought. He had tried so many times before to tell Gwen but he could never find the courage to do so. “I’ve got to tell her how I feel. That I –”

“Love her,” Gaius interrupted as he turned to face Lance, putting his hands on his hips. 

The younger man nodded. “Now how do I do that?”

Gaius stared at him like he was hopeless. “You say ‘I love you.’ What do you want? Written instructions?” He then turned his attention back to his search, muttering, “If I find that kid, I swear I’ll kill him.”

“I’ll tell her this morning!”

“Good.”

“By noon definitely. No, by noon or one. By one thirty-seven exactly, Gaius,” Lance said with a smile.

Gaius gave up his unsuccessful search and looked at Lance. “Well good luck.” He left Lance standing there smiling to go to his office and try to figure out what to do about the missing money.

Satisfied with the talk, Lance went to front of the shop to wait for Gwen to arrive. He wanted to give her a heads up on what happened with Merlin. Once she arrived, Lance ran outside.

“Hey, Lance,” she greeted as she made her way toward the door.

“You can’t go in there yet. There’s something important I have to tell you.”

Gwen stopped on the sidewalk but wasn’t paying much attention to what he was saying. “Happy five year anniversary!” she said as she handed him the cupcake with the number five candle on it.  
Lance accepted it but tried to continue as Gwen started to talk about the chance of getting to meet Arthur Pendragon today. “Listen, I’ve got to tell you about Merlin,” he began.

“Hey, Gwaine!” Gwen said as Gwaine stepped out the door and walked over toward them.

“You have cupcakes? Do I by chance get to have one?” he asked.

“Of course you do, Gwaine,” Gwen answered as he held the container out to him.

Gwaine grinned as he picked one up. “You just made my day.”

Before they could continue talking, Lance stepped forward, frustrated. “Just a little bit of focus would be nice.” His raised voice caused Gwaine and Gwen to finally focus on him. “Thank you,” he added with a calmer composure.

“What’s wrong, Lance?” Gwen asked, concerned.

“I’ve got to tell you what happened to Merlin last night.”

Ten minutes later, the three of them reentered the shop. 

“So Gaius doesn’t know anything about it?” Gwen whispered to Lance when she saw Gaius walk into the store front. 

“I don’t think so, so don’t say anything about it.”

Gwen nodded her head in agreement and put on her big, cheery smile. “Good morning, Gaius!” she called out. 

Gaius merely waved back without much of a glance in her direction as he started searching around the cash registers. No one said anything else as Gwen went to put her bag and cupcakes away. When she returned, they began the opening procedures. 

Before they could start, they needed to decide who got to choose the first music to play. Gwen grabbed a bag of M&M’s and held it out to the guys. Without looking, they each picked one. Gwen pulled one out, “Does anyone have brown?” Gwaine and Lance shake their heads no. “Orange?” 

Gwaine smiled as he raised his orange M&M up for them to see. Gwen and Lance groaned a little as he ran over to the CD player and put one in. A fast tempo, alternative rock song began playing through the shop’s speakers. Despite their reactions, Gwen and Lance were humming along to the song as they all started to work. Gaius rolled his eyes as he returned back to his office. 

Soon, the floors were swept, the racks were straightened, the register was counted, and the sign on the door was flipped to “open”. Only a few customers wandered in. 

Gwen tried to keep herself busy around the shop since she wasn’t on the clock yet. She didn’t want to think about how she was finally getting to meet Arthur Pendragon or that there was the possibility of her acceptance/rejection letter to Cambridge arriving today. She was surprised when Elyan entered the shop a little after ten. “What are you doing here? Is something wrong? Wait, what are you hiding behind your back?” she asked. 

“Something arrived for you in the post and I thought you would want to open it immediately,” Elyan replied as he handed her an envelope.

Gwen’s eyes widened when she saw the return address as she grabbed it. Lance joined them to see what was going on. “It’s Cambridge,” she said as he approached.

“Well, let’s open it. You’ve waited long enough for their response,” he encouraged.

Gwen slowly turned the envelope over and opened it. Elyan and Lance were silent as they watched her unfolded the papers and read. Once she finished, she was quiet for a few moments. 

“What did they say?” Elyan asked.

His question pulled Gwen from her thoughts as she looked up at them. “Yes … yes! I’ve been accepted!”

Lance threw his arms around her in a tight embrace as Elyan cheered. They ignored the customers’ looks as they celebrated. After Lance pulled away, Elyan picked Gwen up in her arms and swung her around. “I knew you would be accepted. Father would be so proud,” he said as he sat her back down. 

Gwen wiped away a tear, “Yes, he would.” She wished their father was there to share this moment. 

“Well, I better get going. I have some things I need to take care of before I’m actually supposed to be here. I’ll you two later,” Elyan said before turning to leave. 

As Gwen and Lance carried on about her acceptance, Gwaine cautiously knocked on Gaius’ door. When he heard a “come in”, he pushed open the door. “Hey Gaius, the sign is out on the roof. It just went dead for some reason, it’s weird.”

Gaius nodded, “I’ll have Lance take a look at it later. Thanks for telling me.”

“No problem, Gaius.” Gwaine turned to leave but Gaius called him back. 

“You haven’t seen or heard from Merlin since last night, have you?” 

Gwaine froze in his spot as he tried to think of a lie. He was not going to give up Merlin. “No, I haven’t. Why do you ask?” he replied as he looked over to Gaius, trying to put on his most innocent smile. He hoped this would be enough. 

Gaius did his infamous one eyebrow raised. “Merlin did not come home last night after closing the store, and I haven’t heard from him yet. This is unusual behavior for him and it worries me.”

“That does sound a bit unusual for him. Maybe he –”

“Just tell me that you’ve seen him, Gwaine, or at least talked to him.” Gaius stood up from his desk and walked toward the younger man. “This is a serious matter, and I want to make sure he’s alright.”

Gwaine stared at him for a moment. He didn’t want to lie to Gaius; he had a lot of respect for the older man. “I can’t say that I have,” he finally replied. 

Gaius continued to stare at him until Gwaine’s guilt revealed itself. He turned and walked out of his office. Gwaine swore as he quickly followed after him. The older man made a direct path to Lance who was behind the register, talking with Gwen. He walked up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. “Where’s Merlin?”

Lance tensed up. “I don’t know what you mean,” he answered as he tried to play it cool. 

“You know what I mean.”

Lance glanced over to Gwaine as he approached and noticed his guilty expression. “I can’t believe you said something, Gwaine.”

Before Gwaine could defend himself, Gaius spoke. “Gwaine did not tell me anything, but I figured out you two know something. So Lance, I want you to find Merlin and bring him back here to me. Gwen, since you’re already here, I want you to take over the register while he’s gone. And Gwaine, work.” Gwen nodded as he walked back to his office. 

Gwaine looked at Lance, “I’m sorry mate, but I really didn’t say anything to Gaius. He cornered me in his office and just figured it out.”

Lance sighed. “He isn’t stupid. He was bound to figure out that we saw him or knew something. I’ll see you guys later, if I can find Merlin.” Lance made his way to the lounge to get his bag when he heard a noise behind him. He turned and came face to face with the man he was sent to find. “Merlin? How in the hell did you get in here?” 

“The roof.” 

Lance didn’t think this was the time to say he was impressed so instead he asked, “What are you doing back here?”

Merlin ignored his question. “Is Gaius in there?” he asked as he tried to side step around Lance. 

Lance moved to block his path. “Have you thought about what’s going to happen, Merlin?”

Merlin stopped in his tracks, “Have you thought about what’s going to happen, Lance?”

“What are you talking about?” 

“I’m talking about your future.”

Lance looked at his friend like he was crazy. “My future?”

“Five years,” Merlin answered as he held out his hand. 

Lance sighed. He grabbed Merlin by the arm and pulled him away from the entrance to the employee lounge. “We need to talk about your future and forget about me right now.”

“My life is a package tour. I’m simply the passenger.”

Lance realized it would be better to just play along with Merlin and see where he was going with this bizarre speech. “Okay, then where do you end up?”

“That’s the mystery. Do you know how many people there are out there in the world?”

“About seven billion or so. Look, Gaius sent me out to find you, so…should I?”

Merlin thought for a moment and then answered,” Find yourself, I’m right here.”

  
Back in the lounge, Gwaine busied himself with sweeping. It didn’t necessarily need to be done but there was nothing else to do out in the shop since there weren’t many customers. As he swept, he sang one of Pendragon’s songs, loudly and out of tune. Gaius looked up at him from his office. “Gwaine, could you not sing?”

“Oh come on Gaius, you know you love the Prince of Pop. I hate to admit but some of his songs aren’t that bad.”

“They why don’t you let him sing his songs?” he asked with a half-smile. 

Gwaine couldn’t help but laugh. He stopped when he heard the door open and saw Merlin enter. “Merlin?”

“Gwaine!”

Gaius jumped up from his chair as soon as he heard Merlin’s voice. “Merlin,” he said as he stepped out of his office. 

“Gaius,” Merlin greeted with a smile. 

“Are you alright? What happened last night?”

“I’m fine, Gaius. And as for last night…” 

“Where’s the money?” he asked as he approached him. 

Merlin slowly backed away, “Gaius, the money is gone.”

“Yes, I know it’s gone. Where’s it gone to?” He was not in the mood for his games. 

“It’s in The Rising Run.”

“And what’s it doing in The Rising Sun?”

“Recirculating.” 

“Recirculating,” Gaius repeated. 

Merlin simply nodded. Gaius resisted the urge to strangle him. “Do you think this is some kind of game?” he yelled. “I told Uther Pendragon that you forgot to deposit the money. I told him it was still here!” 

Gwaine and Lance remained silent as they watched the exchange. Neither of them had seen Gaius this angry before. They each wanted to leave but were scared to try as that might draw attention to them. 

“Sit down,” Gaius ordered, gesturing to the couch. “Under no circumstances do I want you to leave that couch. Unless it’s to being me £9,000 and then you bring it back here to me.” Once Merlin had sat down, he turned back to his office. 

“Gaius, I think everything’s going to be okay.”

Gaius whipped back around to look at Merlin. “What makes you think everything is going to be okay?”

Merlin shrugged his shoulders. “Who knows where thoughts come from, they just appear.”

Gaius shook his head as he turned back to his office. He slammed his office door, leaving the room in silence. No one said anything as Lance sat down at the table behind the couch and Gwaine walked out into the shop, giving Merlin a sympathetic look as he passed. 

Gaius dropped down in his chair. He couldn’t believe Merlin actually took the shop’s money. He picked up the phone to call to report Merlin, but he stopped, setting the phone back down. He couldn’t bring himself to call the police. Merlin was like a son to Gaius since he took him when he was a teen. Granted, he was angry and disappointed with Merlin, but he didn’t want Merlin to go to jail. By not alerting the police or Uther to what happened, Gaius realized he needed to take matters into his own hands. He needed to come up with a plan to replace the money that was taken and then he would come up with a punishment for Merlin. He was not off the hook. 

The day dragged on. A few minutes after eleven, Morgana entered through the front door of the shop to start her shift. Gwen waved to her from the register but was ignored as she passed by. Gwen began to go after to her but was stopped by a customer.

“Good morning, Morgana,” greeted Merlin as she entered the back room. 

She didn’t acknowledge him as well as she walked directly to the restroom, slamming the door behind her. Merlin glanced back at Lance to see he was confused as well. He glanced back to the restroom door and wondered if her behavior had anything to do with her visit last night. He wanted to go check on her but was stopped when Gaius sat down next to him on the couch. 

“Are you in trouble, Merlin? Did you need the money for something? Because if you are in trouble, you know you can talk to me.” Gaius couldn’t believe that Merlin would still the shop’s money and gamble it away. There had to be a reason. The boy always had crazy plans and ideas that he never thought through properly.

“We’re all in some kind of trouble. Am I the only one who sees it? You know, Morgana is in trouble. And Lance is in trouble,” replied Merlin.

“Lance is not in trouble,” interjected Lance. 

“And Gwen is in trouble,” Merlin carried on. 

“Gwen’s not in trouble. She’s going to Cambridge.”

“Gwaine’s in trouble. Percy’s in trouble,” Merlin continued until Gaius cut in. 

“Hey, I’m the one who’s in trouble here. ‘Cause every minute that goes by and I don’t call the cops, I look like a bigger banana head.”

“Gaius, I can categorically say that you are not a bigger banana head,” Merlin said with a smile. 

Gaius narrowed his eyes at him. “You screwed me, Merlin. You know that right?”

“What do you want me to do?” Merlin asked, looking a little more serious. 

“Call Uther? Tell him I lied?”

“Well, it seems like a viable option.”

“I swear to God, if you're fooling with me, I will kill you.” Gaius rose from the couch. “Lance, I need another closer. I know you opened but I wouldn’t ask if I had another option.”

Lance looked up from his sketch book, “Sure Gaius, I can close. They just raised my rent, so I could use the money.”

“Damn the man!” Merlin exclaimed. Lance smiled at him as Gaius retreated back to his office, mumbling under his breath. 

Inside the restroom, Morgana had her hands on the sink as she leaned against it, her head hanging down as she tried to hold back her tears. She tilted her head up and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her nightmares were getting worse and more frequent, especially the ones over the past couple of nights. The dreams started out simply involving her friends in medieval England took a drastic turn, becoming dark with death and destruction. What made matters worse was that Morgana was the cause for most those actions against her friends. 

She kept repeating to herself that these were only dreams and nothing more than that. Her subconscious was only using her friends because she knew them. There was no way she would ever do anything to her friends like trying to kill Gwen or Merlin. The only odd thing about her dreams was when the singer Pendragon would appear. She didn’t pay attention to him nor had she any interest him so she couldn’t figure out why he was constantly popping up alongside her friends.

As Morgana stared at her reflection, she couldn’t shake her feeling of unease. These dreams felt real to her and seem too vivid to just be dreams. But they couldn’t be more than that. She would sound crazy if she said they were more like memories. She didn’t know how she would be able to look at any of her friends today without thinking about her nightmare from last night. She pushed herself off the sink and reached for her bag. She quickly touched up her makeup from where a few tears had fallen. She’d lost track of how long she had been in there so she figured she should leave soon before anyone noticed. She couldn’t hide all day.

  
Back out in the lounge, Lance leaned toward the back of the couch. “Hey Merlin, can I ask you something?” Lance began timidly.

“Of course,” Merlin said as shifted so that he could face his friend.

“Do you think it’s possible for someone to be in love with somebody else and not even know?”

“In this life, there are nothing but possibilities.” 

Lance nodded, “Good because I have to tell Gwen that I love her by 1:37 today.”

“That’s an excellent time.”

The restroom door opened, causing Merlin and Lance to turn to see Morgana exit. She glance at both of them but didn’t say a word as she walked to clock in for her shift. They both watched her as she walked to her locker to put her bag and helmet away. Something felt off about her. Lance was the first to notice the bandage on her wrist as he jacket sleeve was pulled up. 

“Morgana,” he said as he walked toward her. She kept her face neutral until he grabbed her forearm. “What is this? What happened?” he asked as he held her arm up, exposing her wrist for Merlin to see.

Morgana’s face flashed with emotion before she put her mask in place. She pulled her arm out of Lance’s grasp and said, “I went to rock and roll heaven and I wasn’t on the guest list.” She tried to step away to escape but Lance stopped her. Morgana was surprised to see Lance so concerned about her. “Please move I have to go to work.”

“Not until you tell me what is going on.” 

“I decided I’d rather kill myself than meet Arthur Pendragon. Now, if you would excuse me, I’m going.” 

Lance stepped in her pathway again to stop her. “Listen to me, this isn't funny. I'm not joking. I won't let you leave until you tell me what's going on.”

“Mind your own business,” Morgana said narrowing her eyes at him.

Merlin rose from the couch and stood behind Morgana, putting his hand on her shoulder. “She’s fine, Lance.”

Morgana pulled away from Merlin’s hand. “Thank you,” she said as she walked away into the shop, tugging her sleeve over her bandage. Lance and Merlin watched her as she left. 

Lance turned back to Merlin, looking at him in disbelieve. He expected Merlin to be on his side. “What was that about? Why are you acting like this isn’t serious?”

“Look, I know Morgana cutting herself is serious but cornering her like that is only going to make the situation worse. You don’t want it to look like you’re attacking her or making her feel worse about what she did. This is a delicate matter. I know you mean well but you have to be careful the way you approach her about it, even if your intentions are good. Besides, she’s in the store right now. She’s going to be okay for now.”

Lance sighed. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have acted the way I did. But we can’t let this go.”

“We’re not going to. We just need to figure out a better way of talking to her about it.” 

  
“Hey, Morgana, is everything alright today?” Gwen as her friend approached the register. 

Morgana flashed her friend a big, fake smile. “Everything’s fine,” she lied. 

Gwen saw right through it. “You don’t have to lie to me. I can tell something has been bothering you lately.”

“It’s nothing. I just haven’t been sleeping well.” It wasn’t a lie but Morgana couldn’t bring herself to tell Gwen the whole truth. She could tell Gwen wasn’t convinced, so she said, “Maybe we can talk later?”

Gwen nodded with a smile. “I’ll hold you to it.” She started to walk away to head back to the lounge to talk with Merlin when she saw Percy. “Morning, Percy. How are you today?”

“I’m doing well. Do you happen to know where Gwaine is at the moment?”

“Oh, I’m not sure. He’s probably flirting with a customer somewhere,” she replied. “Is something wrong?”

“Oh no, he forgot something at the flat so I was just bringing it to him.”

Gwen smiled. “What would he do without you looking after him, Percy?”

“Who knows? I’ll see you later, Gwen.” Percy walked away and started to look for his flat mate. Just as Gwen had suggested, Gwaine was leaned up against a rack talking with a female customer. He hung back until the woman walked away before he approached. “Hey, Gwaine.”

Gwaine turned around at the call of his name and smiled up at his friend. “Percy! What are you doing here? I thought you were closing.”

“You forgot your keys this morning and I wanted to drop them off with you before I went into work in case I missed you later,” answered Percy as he held out Gwaine’s keys.

“What would I do without you looking after me?” Gwaine said as he took the keys and put them in his pocket. “Oh, since you’re here I better tell you about what Merlin did last night.”

  
“Hey, Jack, how are you doing? Good, good. Listen, I’ve got a weird question. Can I get a personal loan? I would need it by tonight. £9,000. What are you laughing at?” Gaius didn’t even wait for an answer as he hung up the phone. If Jack wouldn’t give him a loan to cover the missing money, he would have to turn to his last option. He had some money saved up but he was hoping to use that to help save the shop from being sold. If he dipped into that, he wouldn’t have enough to make the offer to Uther. But if Gaius didn’t cover the missing money, there would be serious repercussions. 

He looked out the window of his office and saw Merlin, Lance, Gwaine, and Percy talking and laughing. He didn’t want their little shop to be sold to a corporation and be changed into some generic store. He also didn’t like the possibility of anyone losing their job over it. He stood up and walked over to the door so he could tell them all to get back to work. As he opened it, he heard that they were talking about Merlin stealing the money and that it seemed like a joke them. With everything that Gaius was dealing with because of Merlin’s actions, he did not see how any of this was funny. 

Gaius threw open the door, grabbing everyone’s attention as they quieted down. He felt their stares as he picked up a box from his office and carry out into the larger room. He pulled out a stack of papers and began handing them out to each of them.

“What the hell is this?” Gwaine asked as looked at the paper. “‘Rules and standards for Music Town employee conduct’?” 

“Put these in lockers,” Gaius ordered Percy.

“Music Town? We’re not a Music Town,” said Lance.

“No, we’re not a Music Town…yet,” Gaius answered as he pulled out an orange apron with the Music Town logo on it.

“But isn’t Music Town a chain?” Gwen asked. 

“They’re turning us into a Music Town? Why didn’t you tell us?” Lance asked. 

“Because I was trying to stop it,” Gaius answered.

“What do you mean?” he asked and everyone was silent as they waited. 

Gaius sighed. “I got enough money to make Uther an offer. He was going to make me partner. I could have bought him out, eventually.”

“You were going to buy Camelot?” Gwen said, hopeful. 

“That’s a good thing right?” Gwaine asked while Lance said, “That’ll be fantastic!” Everyone started to talk at once about the possibility. 

“Do you think it’ll happen now?” Gaius said with a raised voice. “I have to pay for what Mr Brilliant did,” he said, gesturing to Merlin, causing everyone to look at him. “It’s over kids, okay?”

“Uther is the man,” Merlin said, breaking his silence.

Gaius stared down at Merlin. “And ‘the man’ calls all the shots.”

“Damn the man!” Merlin replied meeting Gaius’ eyes. 

Under different circumstances, Gaius would agree with Merlin but now wasn’t the time. “Let me explain it to you. Uther is the man. I’m the idiot, you’re the screw-up, and we are all losers. Welcome to Music Town.” 

And with that, he returned to his office. He didn’t want to see the looks of disappointment from them. He considered them all to be like his children and he needed to look after them. He felt like he was letting them down. Gaius tried so hard not to let the store be absorbed into a chain but now there was nothing he could do to stop it. The others sat or stood in silence for a moment processing everything before they returned to work, leaving Merlin alone in the room. 

Gwen took a copy of the rules for Morgana.

“What’s this?” she asked as Gwen handed it to her. “Is this a joke?” She looked at Gwen in confusion. 

Gwen shook her head no as she leaned against the counter. “Gaius just told us.”

Morgana read over the paper. “What does this mean for us? We still have a job here, right?”

Gwen shrugged her shoulders. “He didn’t elaborate much. He just walked out of his office and handed the rules out to us.” She sighed and looked away from Morgana. “I don’t even want to think about the possibility of losing this job. Elyan and I are just getting by on our own. We can’t afford to lose this place.” 

Morgana leaned over and place her hand on Gwen’s shoulder, giving her a reassuring squeeze. “I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about, Gwen. They would be stupid to get rid of you two.” Gwen looked back at her and gave her a small smile. “Now, let’s not let this ruin Arthur Pendragon day for you,” Morgana said with a wink.

“You always know what so say to cheer me up,” Gwen replied as Morgana started to rip up the paper. 

“Hey Gwen,” Lance said as he walked toward the register, “Do you mind helping me set up for the signing?”

“I don’t mind at all,” she said as she pushed herself off the counter and followed him.

Merlin sat on the couch bored out of his mind since everyone was busy setting up for the singer to show up. He occasionally looked over at Gaius in his office but the older man avoided looking in his direction. The only amusement he could find was the counting the ceiling tiles. About halfway through counting, he heard a voice.

He glanced around the room and saw that he was alone. Gaius’ door was closed and Merlin could see he was not talking. When he heard the voice again, he realized he didn’t recognize the voice but could tell it was a male’s. He had no clue what was going on. Either Merlin was going crazy or he was actually hearing someone’s thoughts. He had magic after all so this wasn’t completely out of the question. 

Merlin looked back up at the ceiling and tried to resume counting; telling himself to ignore the voice. He was interested in it this time when the person was talking about shop lifting. Merlin was not about to let someone steal from the shop. He needed to act quickly and catch them in the act. It probably wouldn’t go over well if the reason he knew they were stealing was because he heard them think it. The only problem was, he was not supposed to leave the couch. 

He looked over at Gaius’ office and saw he was in a heated conversation on the phone. He probably wouldn’t notice if he slipped out of the room for a few minutes. And just to show he wasn’t leaving the couch completely, Merlin picked up one of the couch cushions to carry with him. With one last look at Gaius’ office, Merlin slipped out into the store.

Merlin stood by the door as he peered around the shop to find the man. There was a fair amount of people in the shop besides the line that had formed for the Pendragon signing. He tried to focus on all the men to see if that helped him.

Gwaine was the first person to notice Merlin was in the shop and walked over to him. “I guess you decided to leave the couch.”

“Not the whole couch,” replied Merlin as he held up the cushion, causing Gwaine to laugh. 

“What are you doing out here?”

“I…just have this feeling about something so I came out here to make sure it didn’t happen.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t worry about it. So, how’s the band coming along? Come up with a name yet?” he asked as he scanned the room. 

Gwaine’s face lit up at the questions. “Things are great and we did finally pick a name. We’re calling ourselves The Knights of Camelot. What do you think?”

“It’s got a nice ring to it.”

“We thought it would be a nice play on the fact that we met while working here.”

Merlin ignored Gwaine as he continued to talk about the band when he heard the voice again say something about some rock band. He zoned in on that section and saw there was only customer in that section and it was a male. Merlin kept his eyes on him as the guy glanced around at every worker before turning back to the rack. The guy looked to be in his late teens or possibly early twenties, it was hard to tell someone’s age sometimes, with black hair with bright blue eyes. 

“Can you hold this for me Gwaine?” Merlin asked as he handed the cushion to his friend. As he walked toward the man, he couldn’t help but feel like he’d seen him before. It was the same feeling he had felt last night with the old man with the dragon tattoo. This was turning out to be an interesting day. 

The man didn’t notice Merlin approach until he spoke. “Can I help you with anything?” He held back his laugh as the guy jumped. 

He looked up at Merlin. “No, I’m all right,” he answered. He looked back down at the CDs in front of him but didn’t touch any of them. Merlin could hear that he was panicking. 

“You like music?” Merlin asked.

“Yeah.” Merlin could tell he was making the man uncomfortable. 

Merlin leaned in close and whispered, “The fat man walks alone.”

The guy looked at Merlin, “What? What are you, some kind of weirdo?”

Merlin leaned back but didn’t answer his question. “That’s a big coat you’re wearing. Lots of pocket room.” That was a dead giveaway the man was up to something since it was pretty warm today.

The guy started to slowly walk away from Merlin. “See ya,” he mumbled.

“I’m sure I’ll bump into you,” Merlin said as he watched him walk away. He heard the guy curse and plan to leave through the front door and run toward the back alley. With that knowledge, Merlin quickly turned and ran to the back of the store as the shoplifter ran out the front door. He passed by Gwaine who had a huge grin on his face. “Go get him,” he heard Gwaine shout after him.

Merlin made it to the back alley just in time to cut the shoplifter off. He couldn’t help but smile when he saw the guy’s expression. The guy darted around Merlin before he could grab him and he was surprised when the guy ran back into the store through the back employee entrance. This guy was not too bright and most definitely an amateur. Merlin ran around to the front of the shop to cut him off again.

He hid in the line of Pendragon fans and wait for him to exit the shop. When the guy did, Merlin stepped out of the line. The guy cursed out loud and ran across the street, barely missing getting hit by two cars. Merlin was close behind him. He realized the only way to stop this guy was to use his magic even though he didn’t like to use it in public. He had to take the chance. Merlin came to a halt and concentrated on stopping the shoplifter. As he did, the shoplifter fell to the ground as if he had been pushed and he couldn’t get up no matter how much he tried.

Merlin ran over to him and grabbed ahold of his arm, dragging him up off the ground. He was glad the guy didn’t resist as he lead him back to the shop. Everyone watched them as they walked back to the employee lounge. Gwaine had already told Gaius, who was currently on the phone with the police. 

  
Outside, a black car pulled into the back alley behind Camelot Records. The blond in the back seat glanced out the window, not wanting to leave the car.

“Come on, sir, we can’t sit in here all day,” said the curly haired man next to the blond. He opened the door and waited. 

“Leon, how many times do I have to tell you to just call me Arthur?” 

“Sorry, sir.”

The blond sighed as he climbed out of the car. “I can’t believe my father owns a shop that looks this bad. I hope it looks better on the inside.”

“I don’t think it looks that bad, si— Arthur. It gives it personality.”

“If you say so. Let’s just get this over with.”

“Someone’s in a grumpy mood today. I thought you liked meeting your fans,” Leon said as he lead the way to the back entrance. 

“I don’t mind meeting fans and doing a signing but I don’t appreciate my father just setting up an appearance for me at one of his businesses without asking me first.”

“If that’s how you feel, then why didn’t you tell him no?” Leon asked as he opened the door.

“You’ve met Uther, right?”

Leon held back his laugh. “Sorry, I forgot who we were talking about.”

As Arthur walked through the door, he felt an odd sensation run through his body, causing him to stop in the doorway. “Is everything okay, Arthur?” he heard Leon ask. He glance behind him but was unsure of what to say. He didn’t know how to explain what he just felt. Leon looked unfazed so he must have been the only one to feel it. “Yeah, everything is fine,” he replied. 

  
“Yes, this is Gaius from the Camelot Records store. We have got a shoplifter in custody. How old are you?” he asked looking at the guy.

“Old enough to kick your butt through your skull and splatter your brains on the wall.”

Gaius rolled his eyes, “Yeah he’s a juvenile. Okay, thank you.” Gaius hung up the phone and looked down at the shoplifter. “What’s your name, kid?”

“Mordred Darkwood.”

“Okay, Mordred, stand up. Hold these against your chest, stand against the wall. We need to get a photo of you with the merchandise.”

“Why don’t you shove them up your arse?”

Merlin smacked Mordred on the back of the head. “Because it would hurt a lot, Mordred.”

“Take him over there,” Gaius gestured to the other side of the room.

“Let’s have some music for out little photo-shoot,” Gwaine said as he pushed play on a small CD player on the table. 

“No, Gwaine, turn that down,” Gaius ordered but it did no good as everyone started to dance around. “Come on, back to work. Lance, I need you up on the roof to fix the sign. Merlin, take the photos.” He glanced up at the clock on the wall and realized Arthur Pendragon would be arriving at any moment. 

  
As Arthur and Leon continued down the hallway, they heard loud music and commotion ahead of them. When they entered the room, they were greeted with people dancing, one guy taking pictures of another with an older man standing by the wall looking utterly displeased and annoyed. No one noticed Arthur and Leon as they stood there. Arthur wondered if his father knew that his business was run like this. Was there even anyone out actually working in the shop?

Eventually, they were spotted by a girl and the music was cut off. “Welcome to Camelot Records,” the girl said with a smile, causing everyone to turn their attention towards them. 

The older man walked toward them and extended his hand, “Hello, sorry about the chaos. I’m Gaius, the store manager.”

“Oh, Gaius? I remember you,” Arthur said as he shook his hand. “You’ve known my father for quite a long time. I didn’t realize you managed this shop.”

“Well, I admit I’m surprised that you remember me. Thank you for coming to the store today. We’ve already got everything set up for you.”

Arthur forced a smile. “Thank you, Gaius. This is Leon, my head of security.” Leon gave a small wave to everyone in the room. 

“Let me give you a quick introduction of everyone,” Gaius said and he quickly named everyone in the room.

Arthur looked at each person as they were named, keeping his smile in place. Gwen was who greeted him, then there was Lance, Gwaine and the one taking the photos was Merlin. When his name was said, Merlin glanced over to Arthur. He had the prettiest blue eyes Arthur had ever seen but as he looked at Merlin, it was obvious the guy had no interest in him and quickly looked away. He wasn’t sure of how to feel about Merlin’s dismissal of him. He was used to people wanting to meet him so it was an odd turn of events to have someone he wanted to meet not interested in him.

“It’s nice to meet you all,” Arthur said as he turned his attention back to the rest of the room. “It’s a pleasure to be here.” He saw Merlin roll his eyes at him, but he decided it was better not call him out on it now. He had a long day ahead of him and he wanted to get through it as quick as he could.

“It looks like it’s time to get started. Would you follow me?” Gaius led the way out into the shop where the crowd erupted into cheering. 

Arthur smiled as he waved to all the fans. He sat down at the table and pulled a sharpie out of his jacket pocket. Leon stationed himself behind Arthur to be close in case he was needed. 

“If you need anything, just ask any of the associates or me, “Gaius said before returning back to his office. 

Arthur motioned for the first fan to step forward. The girl nearly tripped over her own feet as she approached. She laid a poster on the table in front of him. He uncapped the marker and looked up at her. “Hello there, what’s your name?”

“Elena.”

“Elena, that’s a pretty name,” he said as he wrote her name and signed his signature. She smiled brightly as she picked up the poster and walked away. She was quickly replaced by another fan and the process repeated.

Back in the lounge, Gaius tasked Merlin and Lance with watching Mordred until the police arrived. They finished taking the photos so now they waited. Mordred sat on the couch next to Merlin while Lance was behind him at the table. Merlin couldn’t keep himself from starting at the shoplifter. Why could he hear his voice in his mind? That hadn’t happen before with anyone else. Was he like Merlin? Did he have magic too and that’s why he could hear his thoughts? Could Mordred hear his thoughts, too?

“Why do you keep staring at me?” Mordred asked. His mouth moved so Merlin knew he was actually speaking to him.

“Just wanting to make sure you don’t try to disappear on us,” he answered. 

Mordred seemed like he was about to say something when Gwaine entered the room looking rather ticked off. “What’s wrong, Gwaine?” Lance asked. 

“The Princess,” he replied pointing his thumb behind him as he crossed the room, “wants a bottle of water and I have to get it for him.” He reached into the mini fridge and pulled out a bottle. 

“It could be worse,” Lance offered. 

Gwaine mumbled under his breath as he left the room. 

Merlin picked up the CDs Mordred tried to steal to see what they were. “Mordred, let’s discuss what you took. Rap, metal, rap, metal, Spice Girls?” 

“It’s for my girlfriend okay?” 

“Sure it is,” Merlin said as he sat the CDs back down. “Someone like you needs to diminish their criminal impulses not magnify them. Maybe some jazz or classical.”

“Maybe you bite me.”

“Elyan!” Merlin greeted when he saw him enter the room. 

“Hey Merlin, I heard a story about you,” Elyan said as he clocked in.

“Oh really? And which one would that be?”

“The one where you stole £9,000 and went to The Rising Sun.”

Merlin didn’t reply and he ignored the shock look that Mordred was giving him. “I take it Gwen has talked to you recently,” he said after a moment. 

Elyan nodded. “Hey, Lance. And who is this?” he asked when he noticed someone sitting on the couch next to Merlin. 

“This is Mordred. Me and him had a fun game of chase earlier because he thought it was okay to take some CDs without paying for them.”

“Looks like I missed out on all of the fun and excitement.”

“Oh, just wait until you get out into the shop with all the Arthur Pendragon fans,” Lance said.

“Gee thanks,” he said as he made his way out.

  
Arthur was actually in a pretty good mood while he was signing and meeting his fans. But his mood changed when he saw his father enter the store. Uther made his way through the crowd to get to Arthur. “I see you have a good turn out today,” he said without a hello or any kind of greeting.

“Yes, it looks like I have, father. Did you come by to see how things were going?” Uther rarely came to Arthur’s appearances or shows so his being here was a surprise. 

“No, I have some business to take care of with Gaius. And speak of the Devil, here he is.” His attention quickly left his son as he saw Gaius walk toward him. 

“Hello, Uther, to what do I owe the pleasure for this visit?” Gaius asked. 

Uther began walking toward the back, and Gaius followed. “I’m here for last night’s deposit. I want to make sure it gets there this time.”

“There’s no need for you to do that, sir. I was just getting ready to take it over myself,” Gaius lied. While he didn’t show it, he was panicking.

Merlin, Lance, and Mordred looked up at Uther and Gaius as they entered the room. Gaius walked toward the safe room, trying to come up with a plan since he still hadn’t told Uther the truth.

“I knew you would be busy with my son being here so I decided to come collect it myself,” Uther said as he followed Gaius to the room. 

Gaius turned and held out his hand. When he saw Uther’s eyes narrow at him, Gaius smiled. “Let me get it for you.”

Uther was about to enter the room anyway when Merlin called his name, stopping him in his tracks. He turned to look at Merlin, allowing Gaius to slip into the room alone. “Who are you?”

“I’m Merlin, I work here. Uther, have you met Mordred?”

Gaius heard Merlin go into a very detailed version of how he caught Mordred stealing and was thankful for ability to ramble. He picked up one of the money deposit bags and stuffed it with some spare paper that was on the table. He was glad the bags weren’t see through and hoped it would buy him some time to figure out where to get the money from. When the bag felt like it had the right amount in it, Gaius emerged from the room right as Merlin was finishing his tale.

“I’m intrigued. I’m spellbound,” Uther said though his tone was flat. 

“Here is the money,” Gaius said as he handed him the bag.

“Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it? Thank you.” And with that, Uther turned away and left. 

Merlin looked up at Gaius and found him giving him a small smile. It was the first time all day he’d seen him not scowling. But the smile was soon gone as Gaius thought about what Uther would do to him when he discovered what was really inside the bag. Merlin sensed his anxiety and gave him a reassuring nod. He turned away in time to catch Mordred flipping Uther off. 

Arthur watched his father walk past him without saying a goodbye, but Arthur let it go. He focused his attention back on the man in front of him and finished signing his poster. He tried not to think about why his father would come for a personal visit to the shop because it had to be something serious or he would have sent someone else.

Morgana rubbed her temples, wishing her headache would go away. She asked Gwaine to cover the register for a few minutes so she could take a break from the Pendragon fans. She pushed her way through the crowd to the back room and immediately regretted her decision when she saw the shoplifter. Morgana hadn’t seen his face properly when he was running through the store and she recognized him from her dreams. This couldn’t just be a coincidence that he was here today.

“Is everything okay, Morgana?” Merlin asked, bringing her back to reality. Mordred looked up at Morgana but didn’t recognize her. 

Morgana wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. She focused on Merlin and answered, “I’m fine. I just needed a break from all the fans.” 

Merlin saw right through her. He wished Mordred wasn’t there so he could try and talk to her. He also thought it was odd the way Morgana was looking at Mordred. Just then, two cops entered the room. 

“Hello officers. You must be here for young Mordred,” Merlin said as he rose from the couch. 

“Yes, if that is who you caught,” one of the officers said. 

“I’m the one who caught him so I can give you the statement,” Merlin said. He went into the edited version of what happened as the second officer stood Mordred up and put him in handcuffs.  
Just as Merlin finished up his statement, Gaius stepped out of his office when he realized the cops were there. “Hi, I’m Gaius there store manager. Do I need to give a statement?”

“No, sir. We’ve already got one from Mr Emrys.” 

“Oh, Mr Emrys over there stole £9,000. I just took a couple of CDs!” Mordred exclaimed. Merlin kept his face blank but the cops paid no attention to what Mordred was saying as they started to usher him out of the store. “Come on, Merlin. I thought you were my friend,” Mordred said. 

“Don’t let the man get you down,” Merlin called after him as Gaius said, “I don’t want to see you back in the store, Mordred.”

“I’m gonna get you! I’m not playing this time! I’ll be back and you’ll be sorry!” Mordred screamed. 

Merlin laughed as he glanced over to Morgana, noticing how upset she looked. 

“Lance, I thought I asked you to work on the sign?” Gaius asked. 

“Oh yeah, sorry, Gaius. I got distracted with everything that was going on. I’ll head up there now,” he replied as he jumped up and left the room.

“I’m going to go check on Pendragon and make sure everything is going well out there,” Gaius said before leaving himself. 

Merlin sank back down onto the couch and patted the seat next to him, “Join me.” 

Morgana hesitated before she joined him. She crossed her arms tight across her chest and she avoided eye contact. 

“Why haven’t you talked to me? What’s been going on?” he asked. “You know I’m always here for you.”

Morgana closed her eyes as she debated on whether she should tell Merlin about her dreams. She opened her eyes and turned to him. “I don’t even know where to begin. You’ll just think I’m going mad.”

“Just try me. Why don’t you start with last night?”

Morgana sighed. “After I got home last night after leaving here, I thought about everything that has been happening over the past few months. I’ve been having these…strange dreams.”  
“What kind of dreams?”

Morgana started to answer when Gwaine walked through the door. “Hey Morgana, I need your help out here.”

Morgana shot out of her seat, “Sure thing.”

“We’ll finish talking later, okay Morgana?” Merlin said to her. She nodded before leaving with Gwaine. Merlin cursed his friend’s interruption. He was just getting Morgana to open up and then it was ruined.

  
Up on the roof, Lance was attempting to fix the sign. This wasn’t exactly his area of expertise but at least it gave him some time alone with his thoughts. He still hadn’t quite figured out how to tell Gwen and it was after noon. He didn’t have much time left. 

“Gwen, I’ve got to tell you something. It’s about how I feel about you.” That was a good start he thought. “I really, really...oh, God…” he trailed off as he ran his hand through his hair. This was not going to be as easy as Gaius said it would be. 

He thought maybe he should try another angle. “You know that feeling you get when you get out of a hot bath? You just feel really refreshed and nice. Well, you make me feel like... You make me feel like a bath? No, that won’t work.”

Lance leaned against the sign and thought. “You’re like vanilla ice cream, French vanilla ice cream. No, that’s worse.” Maybe he should just wait and say whatever comes to mind when he sees her.

  
Gaius looked up from his desk when he heard a knock at his door. “I thought I told you not to leave the couch,” he said when he saw Merlin enter. 

Merlin crossed his arms against his chest as he leaned against the door frame. “I’m worried about Morgana. I don’t know if you’ve seen it today, but she cut her wrist last night. She’s got a bandage on it.”

Gaius was speechless for a moment. “Do you know why?”

“I think she was about to talk to me a few minutes ago but we were interrupted and went left. She said something about having strange dreams.”

“I know about the dreams. She’s talked to me about them before.”

“What?” Merlin uncrossed his arms and walked over to Gaius’ desk to lean against it. “You’ve known about the dreams?”

Gaius nodded. “Yes, she’s been telling me about them. I didn’t realize they had gotten this bad. She’s been acting like she wasn’t having them anymore so I didn’t know.”

Merlin was hurt that Morgana confided in Gaius about her problems but not him. He thought they were close enough for that. “She was here last night at closing looking for you. She seemed pretty upset about something.”

Gaius thought for a moment before answering, “I should go and talk to her.”

“I think that would be good. Hopefully you’ll have better luck with her than me.”

Gaius rose from his chair and walked around his desk. “Thanks for telling me,” he said as he patted Merlin’s shoulder. “Now get back on the couch. I’m still angry at you.”

Merlin retreated back to the couch as Gaius left in search of Morgana. He felt terrible at knowing she cut herself and he wasn’t there the night before for her. He found her in a corner of the shop away from all the commotion, reorganizing the CD racks. She looked up as she approached.

“Hey Gaius, I’m just cleaning and straightening up the racks. I’m almost done if you need me for something.” She quickly dropped her gaze back down to the CDs. 

“Morgana, why haven’t you come and talked to me?”

“I take it Merlin has talked to you,” she replied without looking up.

“Yes, he did. He’s concerned about you and so am I. He told me that you…” Gaius trailed off as his eyes landed on her bandaged wrist. 

That didn’t go without Morgana noticing. “Are you going to fix me, Gaius?” she asked bitterly. “Fix me. I’ll listen.”

His eyes snapped back up to Morgana was staring at him. He opened his mouth to speak but he didn’t know what to say. “I didn’t mean it like that,” he finally said. 

“No, I shouldn’t have said that.” She dropped her gaze back down. “I just don’t understand what’s wrong with me and why these dreams keep happening. I saw…I saw the boy from my dreams today. Today was the first day I saw him but I already knew his face and name. How is that possible?”

“I’ve been researching it and I think I’m getting closer to the answers you need. I’m sorry for not being here last night when you needed to talk.”

“Thank you, Gaius.”

“Would you like to talk now?” he offered. 

“No, there’s so much already going on today. I’ll be okay for now.”

Gaius wanted to tell her what he had learned about her dreams but like she said, there were so many other things already going on today. It wasn’t a simple answer and involved everyone else in the shop so he needed to find the time to sit everyone down together. And after learning that she harmed herself over what she was dreaming, he was worried how she would handle the truth. He needed to be prepared for that. “I’ll let you get back to work then,” he said as he left her. 

Gaius barely got the chance to settle back in his office before Gwen entered. He really needed to start locking that door. 

“Hey, Gaius, the best boss in the world,” she greeted with a bright smile. Gaius raised an eyebrow at her, wondering what she was going to ask him. “Can I bring Arthur his lunch?”

“Gwaine is taking him his lunch.” He turned his attention back to the papers in front of him.

“You know Gwaine is just going to insult him right to his face. It’s not a good idea,” she argued as she stepped closer to the desk.

Gaius glance back up at her, “I don’t care what Gwaine says to him today. It’s the least of my problems right now.”

“I have to bring Arthur his lunch.”

“Gwaine is.”

“Gaius, I need to bring him his lunch.”

“If it’s that important to you, then go ahead,” Gaius said as the turned back to some papers on his desk.

“Thanks, Gaius. Thanks a lot,” she said as she straightened herself and smiled. 

Gwen exited his office and walked to the storage room that was to be used so Arthur could have some privacy as he ate. She went over in her mind what she would say and do when she was finally face to face with Arthur Pendragon as she set up the table and chair for him. She ignored Merlin as she crossed the lounge to get the food out of the fridge and take back into the room. Gwen sat out the food in as nice of a presentation as she could in this setting. She even added one of the cupcakes she had made to the spread. She tried to take a couple of deep breaths to calm herself. She did not want to come off as a love struck fifteen year old. 

Gwen heard the door behind her open and she spun around to see Gwaine with Arthur right behind him. He looked at her confused since he thought he was in charge of taking care of lunch. “Here you go, Pendragon.”

“Just Arthur, please,” he said as he entered the room and walked toward the table. 

“Okay, Arthur, Gwen will be more than happy to take care of you now.” Gwaine winked at Gwen, causing her to blush before she glared at him. Gwaine let her push him out of the room.

She quickly closed the door and turned back to Arthur to see him looking at the food. 

“This looks good. What kind of cupcake is this?” he asked, sitting down. 

“It’s strawberry. I made it myself,” Gwen replied.

“Oh good, my favorite. You didn’t have to make it for me.”

“It was nothing. I like to bake,” Gwen replied as she leaned against the wall behind her. 

Arthur smiled at her. “I think I have everything I need and should be all set. Thank you for setting this up for me.”

“You’re welcome.”

Arthur picked up his utensils and started to eat. After a couple of bites, he saw that Gwen was still standing there in the room with him. He was expecting to eat his lunch alone wanted to have a break from people so he wasn’t sure why she was still there. “I don’t mean for this to come off as rude, but I can’t help but notice you standing there, staring at me.”

Gwen felt her cheeks flush and she felt embarrassed. She was coming off as the creepy, stalker fan. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude or bother you. I’m just a big fan of you and your music. I’m sure you’re sick of hearing that today but I wanted to take this opportunity.” She regretted everything she said but there was no going back now. This was not a good idea. “I shouldn’t have bothered you while you were trying to eat. You probably want some time alone so I’m just going to go hide for the rest of the day.”

As she turned to leave, Arthur said, “No, it’s okay. You can stay.” He watched her turn to face him. “It’s Gwen, right?” She nodded her head yes. “Is that short for something?”

“Yes, it’s short for Guinevere.”

“Guinevere, I’ve always liked that name. Why don’t you pull up a chair and sit with me. There’s no need for you stand in the corner, waiting on me like a servant.”

Gwen grabbed a chair and sat it across from Arthur. The tension in the room eased away and they started to relax with one another. Gwen tried not to freak out as sat with him. It all seemed surreal to her.

“How long have you worked here?” Arthur asked as he started to eat again.

“I started here about six years ago. I can’t believe it’s been that long. My friend Merlin helped me get the job, along with my brother, and I’m glad he did. I enjoy working here, and I’m not just saying that since your father owns the shop.”

Arthur nodded as he listened. At the mention of Merlin’s name, his mind drifted to him. He’d wanted to talk to him all day but Merlin never left the employee lounge and Arthur wasn’t sure why that was. He wished there was a way he could approach him without making it obvious. “That was good of him to help you get the job. You two must be close,” he said when he realized she’d stopped talking.

Gwen nodded in agreement. “He’s one of my closest friends. I love him dearly.”

“Are you two a couple?”

Gwen busted out laughing. “Oh no, we’re not dating. I’m not his preferred gender.”

“I’m sorry I jumped to that conclusion.” Arthur hid his joy of learning that Merlin was into blokes.

“It’s okay. People assume we’re dating all the time when they see us together in public.” Silence fell between them after that. Gwen bit her lip as she debated whether to say what was on her mind. “While we’re on the topic of relationships and the like, there’s something I want to tell you.”

Arthur shifted in his seat and felt awkward as he had a feeling of where this conversation was headed.

“I know you get this all the time and are probably sick of hearing it but I’m just going to be forward and say it. I like you, Arthur. I know a regular girl like me doesn’t have chance with someone of your stature but I thought it was worth a shot in telling you.” Gwen tried to keep her breathing steady as her heart raced while she waited for Arthur’s response. This was either going to be the best moment of her life or the worst.

Arthur took a minute to think of the best way to respond. “Guinevere, I appreciate your honesty with him. I know it’s not easy to for one to share their feelings with someone, especially when you don’t know how the other person will respond. I’m going to end up disappointing you which I hate to do because you seem like an amazing woman.”

Gwen wanted to run from the room because of her embarrassment. “I’m sorry to put you on the spot like this. I never should have said anything. For all I know, you’re already in a relationship with someone you’re keeping secret or I’m just not your type.”

Arthur felt terrible for Gwen. He did like her but just not in that way. “I’m actually not in a relationship but I do think you’re an amazing woman just from the short time we’ve spent together today.”

“I don’t need your pity or for you to patronize me,” Gwen said. 

“I didn’t mean for it come out that way.”

Gwen stood up. “I’m going to leave now and let you finish your lunch before I make this more awkward between us. Let’s just pretend like this never happened.” She reached for the door knob as Arthur said, “I’m gay.”  
The room was silent as Gwen slowly turned back around to face him, shocked. Arthur was shocked at himself for just blurting that out. This was something kept guarded and very, few people even knew. This wasn’t something he told someone he just met. 

“Do not repeat what I just said to anyone. I will deny it and sue if you do.”

Gwen held her hands up in surrender, “You don’t have to threaten me nor worry. I won’t tell a soul.”

Arthur was convinced she wouldn’t though he wasn’t sure why he trusted her so much. But he still wasn’t happy.

“I am curious though as to why you told me,” Gwen said as she walked back toward the table.

Arthur let out a nervous laugh. “I honestly don’t know why I did. It just came out of me. I guess part of me didn’t want to see you hurt when it was nothing you did wrong. I know we just met today but I feel like I’ve known you all my life. You’re familiar and comforting.”

“That doesn’t make a whole lot of sense but I will accept your explanation. But, if you will excuse me, I’m still going to leave because I’m still embarrassed about the whole thing.”

“I understand. Thank you again for lunch.” Gwen nodded before leaving. Once he was alone, he let out a “fuck” as he ran his hand through his hair. He looked at the cupcake and picked it up, taking a bite. It was quite tasty.  
Gwen immediately headed for the roof so that she could be alone. Despite what Arthur had said, she still felt embarrassed and like an idiot. Once she made it to her destination and sat down, a few tears fell down her cheeks, but she didn’t bother to wipe them away. 

“Gwen?” 

She looked up and saw Lance walking toward her. She quickly wiped her tears away. She stood up and crossed her arms. “What are you doing up here?”

“I'm fixing the sign. What are you doing here?” 

“Taking a break,” she answered.

Lance glanced at his watch and smiled. It was 1:37. “It's so weird that you just came up here. I have to tell you something.”

“I’m sorry, Lance, but please not right now.” Gwen started to walk back to the stairs when Lance spoke.

“Wait, please. It has to be now.” He was glad she stopped and turned to him. He took a deep breath. “You remember that really horrible day when Gwaine set off the store alarm, and Morgana got dumped by Cenred and cried all day and I drew the picture of him and Lucas made a voodoo doll and you wore that skirt that I hate?” 

“What skirt?” Gwen asked trying to figure out where Lance was going with all of this.

“The one with the flowers.”

“The blue one?”

“Yeah the blue one.”

“I hate that one.”

“I hate that skirt too. It's good that I hate that skirt. Just hear me out. That skirt made me realize that if I can love her in that skirt, then this must really be it.” He paused for moment and then said, “Gwen, I love you.”

Gwen stared at him. “What?”

“I'm in love with you. I mean, I've been in love with you.”

Gwen was speechless and it was then that Lance realized that she was upset about something.

“Gwen, is something –”

“Oh, wow. I mean. I’m sorry, Lance. I can’t handle this right now.”

Lance stared at her not understanding. “Gwen, what’s wrong? Are you telling me you can handle this some other time?”

“It’s just that I just confessed my feelings to Arthur Pendragon. I made a complete fool of myself.”

This was not how Lance imagined this would go with Gwen. “Wait, I know you’re a fan of his but you actually have feelings for him and you told him?”

“Yes and I was an idiot for doing so. I’m just not ready for this right now.”

“No it’s…I’m sorry,” Lance said. 

“I just want to be alone right now, okay?”

Lance nodded. “Yeah, okay.” He started walking toward the stairs. He stopped and looked back at Gwen to see her sitting down. He hated to see her cry and he felt selfish for wanting to leave her there. But if she wanted to be alone, he was going to do as she asked. “Just forget I said anything. I didn’t say anything. Nothing happened here.” He retreated back down into the store.

“Everything okay, Lance?” Merlin asked when he say him rush in. 

“I’m fine. Just heading out for lunch.”

“I saw Gwen head up to the roof. How did it go telling her?”

Lance was out the door without giving Merlin an answer and Merlin realized it did not go well. First, Morgana was having serious personal issues. Second, Gwen runs up to the roof without a word of explanation. Now, Lance left the shop looking like his world just fell apart. 

“What is going on today?” Merlin asked out loud. He had this nagging feeling that Gwen rejected Lance before, which was ridiculous. This is the first and only time that Lance had told Gwen about his feelings for her. But the more he thought about it, Merlin started to see quick flashes of Lance and Gwen, in medieval clothing, and sees Gwen choosing another. Once the scenes were gone, they left Merlin feeling odd. It felt like he was remembering something he’d forgotten. He tried to shake it off but couldn’t. His thoughts were soon interrupted when he heard the storage door. He glanced over to see Arthur stepping out and staring directly at him.

Arthur closed the door behind him, keeping his gaze on Merlin. He realized this would be the perfect time to talk with Merlin since they were alone in the room; he’d only been thinking about trying all morning. Hid talk with Gwen gave him more confidence to do so as well. “So, do you actually do any work or just sit around all day?” Arthur immediately regretted his word choice as the joke fell flat. 

Merlin looked at the blond annoyed. “I don’t think it’s any of your business,” he retorted as he crossed his eyes and glanced away. 

Arthur was taken aback by Merlin’s attitude; he wasn’t used to people talking to him in that manner. “I’m sorry but have I done something to offend you?”

“No.”

“Then what’s with the attitude?”

Merlin looked Arthur over and hated to admit that he found him attractive. He could see why Gwen liked him so much but that still didn’t mean he wasn’t a prat. It soon occurred to Merlin that he was staring at the singer and hadn’t responded yet. He didn’t know how to answer because technically, Arthur hadn’t done anything to him but he needed to say something. “I don’t like people who are full of themselves. You come in here like you own the place –” 

“Technically, my father owns the shop so…” Arthur trailed off when he saw the glare from Merlin.

“That’s what I’m talking about.”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “Look, I wasn’t trying to start anything with you. My intention was to be friendly but it just came out wrong. Sorry for bothering you.”

Merlin felt a pang of guilt as he saw the hurt look on Arthur’s face as he turned to leave. “Wait,” he said as he pushed himself off the couch and walked toward Arthur, leaving a step in between them. “I’m sorry, Arthur. I’m having a bit of a rough day and it was easy to take it out on you. Shall we try again?” He offered his hand out for Arthur. “I’m Merlin. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“I’m Arthur and the pleasure is mine,” he said as he took Merlin’s hand. 

As they shook, it felt like a jolt of electricity ran through their bodies. Merlin felt his magic prickle at the sensation. He wasn’t sure if Arthur felt it too since he didn’t comment on it, but his eyes widened a little as he stared at Merlin. They continued to stand there before they realized they were still holding hands. Merlin pulled his hand away and took a step back. “You probably should get back out to your fans and finish your signing.”

Arthur simply nodded his head as he dropped his gaze from Merlin. He turned and slowly made his way to the door, stopping when he reached it. He glanced back to Merlin, ready to say something. But instead, he decided against it and went through the door.

Merlin sighed as he watched the door close and dropped back onto the couch, putting his face in his hands. He had no idea how to explain to himself what he just felt nor what he saw but he knew this wasn’t the first time they had met. It was the same feeling he just had about Lance and Gwen. He dropped his hands to his lap and looked at the door. He needed to know if Arthur felt it, too, just to make sure he wasn’t going crazy.

Gwen entered the room and made her way to the couch. “Mind if I join you?” she asked Merlin.

“Not at all,” he answered as she sat next to him. 

“Don’t be so dramatic, Gwen. This is Lance we’re talking about. I’ve never known the man to hold a grudge against anyone.”

“I know you must have seen him when he came down off the roof. He was pretty upset with me.”

Merlin sighed. “While I can’t speak for Lance, I know him pretty well. I don’t think he’s upset with you. He’s just upset, that’s all. It’s not directed at you.”

“What do you think I should do? Should I try to talk to him when he gets back from lunch?”

“Well, you might want to give him some space still and see how he is. Then you can try and talk to him in private.”

Gwen nodded her head as she moved to hug him. “Thanks, Merlin. I can always trust and depend on you.”

“You’re welcome, Gwen. I’m here for you anytime,” he said with a smile. 

“Is Arthur still here?” she asked as she pulled away.

“Yes, he’s got about another hour or so left of the signing.”

“Lovely. I’m going to go hide somewhere until he leaves.” Gwen rose from the couch, straightening her skirt.

“Maybe you can sneak through the crowd and avoid him.”

“I’ll try. And Merlin, let’s try to get through this day without anything else happening.”

“I completely agree. Now, go sell some music!” Gwen gave him a smile before leaving the room.

 

Throughout the last hour the signing, Arthur was completely distracted. There were a few instances he had to ask fans to repeat their names because he wasn’t paying attention. 

“Is everything okay, Arthur?” Leon asked when he noticed the trouble he was having.

“Yes, everything’s fine,” he lied. Leon was not convinced but he decided against calling Arthur out in front of his fans. 

It took over an hour to finish getting through the line of fans because he didn’t want to turn anyone away. The extra time gave him the chance to think about Merlin and what happened when they shook. He needed to talk with him again but not for the same reason as before.

After signing the last photo, Arthur made his way to the back room followed by Leon. As he hoped, Merlin was alone in the room, stretched out on the couch. Merlin looked away from the Game Boy in his hands to see who entered and tensed when he saw it was Arthur. “All finished with your signing?” he asked. 

“Yes,” Arthur replied, unsure of what else to say. 

“Will you be leaving then?”

“Yes, but I was wondering if we could talk first, if you don’t mind.”

Merlin stared at him for a moment before setting the Game Boy down. “Uh sure.” He sat up on the couch, swinging his back onto the floor so Arthur could sit next to him.

“Could we go somewhere more private?” 

Merlin looked at him confused. “What wrong with right here?” he asked.

Arthur rubbed the back of his neck, wondering why he was so nervous about this. “There’s something I want to talk to you about and I don’t want others to walk in during it.” He walked toward the storage room he was in earlier and looked back to see Merlin looking at him unsure. “It won’t take long.” He opened the door and held it open for Merlin as he walked over to him. “Just wait for me out here,” Arthur said to Leon before closing the door.

Merlin leaned against the little table that was still set up from Arthur’s lunch and crossed his arms. “So what do you want to talk about that have to be so private?”

“I just don’t want to be interrupted, that’s all.” It wasn’t a lie but Arthur could tell Merlin wasn’t convinced. He realized there was no use in dragging this out so he asked, “Is there any chance that we’ve met before?”

Merlin chewed on his bottom as he thought of how to answer. Did this mean that Arthur felt what he felt too? “A couple of hours ago, the answer would have been ‘no’ but I’m not so sure anymore. Why do you ask?” Merlin felt hopeful. If Arthur was feeling this too, he wasn’t going mad.

“You’ll think I’m mad if I tell you.”

Merlin laughed. “Well, you’re the one who brought it up. Just try me.”

“Ok then but don’t say I didn’t warn you. I think we’ve met in some kind of past life or something like that.” Arthur braced himself for Merlin’s reaction. He didn’t know if he was relieved when Merlin didn’t start shouting at him that he was crazy when he simply nodded in agreement.

“I’ve been wondering that too,” Merlin said with a nod.

“Wait, you feel the same way?” Arthur felt a little bit of tension leave his body.

“Yeah, I do. There’s something familiar about you that makes me feel like I’ve known you all my life. I also felt something when we shook hands earlier.” 

“So I’m not going mad?” Arthur asked with a half-smile. 

Merlin shrugged. “Well that remains to be seen. But what makes you think we’ve met in a past life?”

“I’ve been getting these mental images of us together, I was some kind of royalty and you were my servant I think?” Arthur said. 

Merlin snorted. “Who do you think you are, King Arthur?” he joked. 

“Well…” Arthur started but trailed off, glancing away. 

Merlin opened his mouth to respond but closed it. It was a crazy notion but he couldn’t find a way to argue against Arthur. As he thought about the idea, it actually made sense based on what he’d been seeing. There was something very familiar about the man’s blue eyes and smile. Maybe their names weren’t a coincidence and this wasn’t a chance meeting. 

Arthur sighed when Merlin didn’t say anything. “You know what, just forget I said anything. This is just ridiculous.” He turned around and made his way to the door to leave. 

“Arthur, wait,” Merlin said. He rushed forward and grabbed his arm before he could leave. He felt something surge through him. He looked at Arthur, finally recognizing the man in front of him. “Arthur?” he said as he reached out to touch him. He was overwhelmed with emotion as he wrapped his arms around Arthur’s neck, pulling their bodies close together. “Is it really you?”

Arthur wrapped his arms around Merlin’s waist. “I think so?”

Merlin pulled back just enough so he could look at Arthur. Without thinking, he leaned in and kissed him. He felt Arthur tense up and quickly pulled away. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.” Merlin tried to step back but Arthur kept him his arms around his waist.

“Don’t apologize about it. But I am curious to know why you did it.” 

Merlin dropped his gaze. “It was just something I wish I had done sooner.”

Arthur smiled as he cupped his hand around Merlin’s face. “Did you ever think I had been waiting for you kiss me?” Merlin’s eyes snapped back up to Arthur, surprised. Without another word, Arthur captured Merlin’s lips.

Without giving much of an explanation, Gaius closed the shop once the signing was over. He ordered all the employees to wait in the lounge and ushered the remaining customers out of the store. The put on a sign on the store announcing the shop would be closed for the next hour. 

“Does anyone know why he’s doing this?” Lance asked. “It seems a little odd to close the shop like this in the middle of the afternoon.”

“We’ll just have to wait and see what Gaius says,” Morgana replied. She had a feeling she knew what this was about but she wasn’t going to call attention to that.

“Has anyone seen Merlin? He’s not on the couch like he’s supposed to be,” Gwaine said. 

“And where is Arthur? I haven’t seen him since the signing finished,” said Gwen. 

Leon’s face flushed a deep red as he shifted uncomfortably against the wall, which only ended up drawing everyone’s attention to him and then the closed door near him.

“Who’s in there with him, Leon?” Gwen asked even though she already knew the answer. Leon couldn’t bring himself to answer nor look her in the eye. 

Inside the storage room, Arthur and Merlin had no idea everyone was waiting for them to come out on the other side of the door. They were far too consumed in their own intimate reunion to think about their friends. They sat on the floor, Merlin’s arms were wrapped tightly around Arthur’s neck, afraid that he might disappear at any moment. 

“Do you always cry after kissing someone or am I just that bad at it?” Arthur said in an attempt to get Merlin to laugh. 

“Shut up,” was all Merlin could manage but he still smiled. “I just…I just can’t believe you’re back and this is really happening.” He pulled back to that he could see Arthur’s face but he kept his arms loose around his neck. “I also can’t believe that I didn’t remember you,” he mumbled. 

Arthur rubbed his hands up and down Merlin’s back. “Don’t worry about it. I didn’t remember who you were before today. Maybe whatever brought us all back made us forget who we were until we needed to know.”

“That is a strong possibility. When did you get so smart?” Merlin teased.

“I’ve always been smart. You just never appreciated it.”

Merlin rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, sire,” Merlin replied, giving Arthur a peck on the lips. 

“Do you still have your magic?”

Merlin’s body tensed at the question. He wasn’t prepared for that question right now. He stared at Arthur as he tried to gauge his emotion before answering, “Yes, I do.” 

“Well that’s good. I figured you still would but I wanted to make sure.”

“Are you still okay with it?”

Arthur smiled at Merlin. “The last time we were together, I told you I didn’t want you to change. Magic is a part of who you are. I’m sure I’ll learn to love it like the rest of you.”

“Does that mean that you…love me?”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “I think that pretty much goes without saying.”

Merlin shrugged his shoulders. “That doesn’t mean that I don’t want to hear you say it.”

Arthur leaned forward and rested his forehead against Merlin’s. He looked in the eyes as he said, “I love you, Merlin.”

Merlin pressed his lips to Arthur’s. He’d waited so long to hear those four words. “I love you, too,” he said as he pulled away. 

“We should probably leave this room before anyone notices that we’re both missing,” Arthur reluctantly said. 

“That’s probably a good idea. I completely forgot where we were.” They separated as they stood up and made themselves look presentable. 

“Do you think the others remember who they are?” asked Arthur.

Merlin thought for a moment. “I’m not sure but we’ll find out soon enough.” He instantly felt himself fill with guilt when he thought about Gwen and what they just did. He glanced at Arthur and saw he felt the same. This was not going to be an easy reunion. He tried to give Arthur his best smile, “Come on, let’s go see our friends.” Merlin made it to the door first and he slowly opened it. 

He wasn’t expecting to see everyone staring at him as if they were waiting for him and Arthur to walk out of the room. “Oh…hello, everyone,” he greeted. He smiled but it fell as soon as he made eye contact with Gwen. He shuffled out of the way to allow Arthur to exit the room. 

Arthur’s eyes instantly landed on Gwen. “Hello, Guinevere.” All he was thinking about was the conversation he had with her earlier that day when he unknowingly told his wife he was gay. Well, technically they weren’t married but then they were. This was going to be confusing. He crossed the short distance to her and reached out for a hug. He was happy when she allowed him to touch her and returned the embrace. “I think we should discuss this later…privately,” he whispered to her.

“I agree,” she replied as she pulled away. 

It hurt Arthur to see how Gwen looked. He didn’t get to dwell on it long as he saw Lance walk toward him. “Lancelot, it’s so good to see y—” His words were caught off by Lance punching him square in the jaw, knocking him to the floor.

The room erupted into chaos as everyone surrounded the two to pull them apart. “Stop!” Merlin yelled, throwing his hand out toward Arthur and Lance. The two were instantly separated, causing everyone to look at Merlin. Some were shocked to see him use magic while others were not.

“Well, that finally answers that question,” said Gwaine. 

“What is going on in here?” All eyes turned to Gaius. No one said anything as Gwaine helped Arthur up and Percy helped Lance. “Is someone going to answer me?” he asked as he crossed his arms and looked at everyone. 

“Lance punched Arthur in the face for some reason and we were trying to stop them,” Merlin answered. 

Gaius turned his attention to Lance and waited for him to explain. 

“I was defending Gwen’s honor. I admit, it might have been a little rash. I’m sorry, Arthur.”

“No, it’s okay. I deserved it,” Arthur said as he rubbed his jaw. 

“I didn’t expect our reunion to be violent, but I hope you’ve all got it out of your systems. We have a lot to discuss.” The room was silent. “I’m sure it’s safe to assume that all of you have experienced some peculiar visions or whatever you want to call them today. 

“What are these ‘visions’ exactly?” asked Lance. “Why are we having them?”

Gaius sighed. “Maybe we should sit down for this?” Gwen sank down onto the couch with her hands folded in her lap. Percy took the other end of the couch while Gwaine perched on the arm next to him. Lance sat down in his chair with his arms folded on the back of the chair. Arthur and Merlin remained standing. Gaius scanned the room and frowned, realizing one of them was missing. “Where’s Morgana? Has anyone seen her recently?”

“I’ll go look for her,” said Merlin. Gaius hesitated before nodding his head. Merlin made a quick check in the bathroom and found it empty. He made his way through the empty shop. If they all were remembering things from their past and based on how Morgana has been acting lately, Merlin did not want to think about her current mental state. He was also worried about what she might do to them. The last time they saw each other, Morgana was trying to kill them. 

Merlin eventually found Morgana on the roof. Her back was to him as she sat close to the edge on the front side of the building, looking out across the city. He started walking towards her and realized she was crying.

“Come to make sure I’m not planning to murder you all again?” Morgana asked not looking back him. Merlin stopped in his tracks a few paces away from her. Since he didn’t reply, Morgana added, “You don’t have to lie to me. I wouldn’t blame you for it.”

“It’s not the only reason I came looking for you,” he said once he found his voice. 

“Oh?” Morgana said as she shifted in her spot to look up at him. 

“You’re still my friend, Morgana. I wanted to make sure you were okay,” he said firmly, taking the last few steps toward her. This was all so confusing. Morgana was his friend, they’d worked together for years but she also tried to kill him in another life. 

“So you’re not going to kill me again?” Merlin couldn’t tell by her tone if she was serious or trying to joke but failed at it. “We can’t avoid what happened, Merlin, so we might as well try to joke about it,” she said with a half-smile.

Merlin slowly sat down next Morgana, leaving a little bit of space between them. Neither one of them said anything as they sat there; the sounds of the street below them filled the silence. “You’ve been slowly remembering things for the past few months, haven’t you?” Merlin asked.

Morgana nodded. “Before, my dreams showed me the future events but not they show me the past. Both times they’ve left me confused and scared.” She sighed. “Does anyone else remember or is it just us?”

“As far as I know, everyone does to some extent. Gaius closed the shop for a couple of hours so he can talk to us about it.”

“Interesting. Does he know how this happened? Why we’ve been reborn in this time?”

Merlin shrugged. “He’s probably explaining that right now with the others. I volunteered to find you when he noticed you weren’t in the room.”

“I still don’t understand why you came to find me, not after everything that happened,” Morgana said as she turned to look at him.

Merlin opened his mouth to reply but then closed it. He needed to think for a moment on the proper word to use here to explain himself to Morgana. If he messed up now, it could complicate things. “As I said before, you are my friend then and now. I am partly responsible for what became of you in the end. I made some wrong choices while thinking I was doing right for Camelot and Arthur. I hated what became of you in the end. In light of those memories and our life in this time, I feel like this is a second chance. I can’t mess it up this time. I’m going to be here for you this time, if you’ll let me.” 

Morgana turned away to look back over the city. “Do you think the second chance applies to all of us?”

“I think so. If not, then all of us wouldn’t have been brought back.”

“Good,” she mumbled. 

“Are you ready to go back inside to hear what Gaius has to say?”

Morgana looked back to Merlin with wide eyes. “How can I go back down there and face them after the things I did to them? I was the reason Lancelot died, twice, and Elyan. I killed Gwaine and was behind Arthur’s death. I wanted to kill you! How can I be around any of you? Why would they want to see me?”

“So you’re just going to stay up here all day or sneak off?” Morgana didn’t reply but her silence gave away her answer. “You won’t know how they’re going to react until you try.”

Morgana shook her head as she said, “I don’t even want to be me right now so I highly doubt they want to see me.”

Merlin reached out and placed his hand on top of Morgana’s. He was glad she didn’t pull her hand away. “We can stay up here until you’re ready then.”

“Just a few more minutes would be nice.”

“That’s not a problem.” Merlin turned his attention to the city. 

“How is everyone reacting to this?”

Merlin shifted in his seat. “Well, Lance punched Arthur in the face.” Morgana looked at him, eyebrows raised. “I’ll explain later.”

“I can’t wait to hear the story. I never thought he would punch you in the face so I can’t imagine what you did,” she said with a laugh, causing Merlin to laugh as well. 

“I’m glad you find it amusing.” But Merlin was happy to see her smile and her eyes light up just a little.

 

Ten minutes later, Merlin and Morgana made their way back down into the shop. As they entered the employee lounge, the room grew silent as all eyes turned to them. Gwaine shifted in his seat like he was going to stand but Percy’s hand shot out, grabbing his thigh. He rubbed his thumb in a circular motion in an attempt to calm Gwaine.

Morgana kept her face blank as she looked around the room. She was not going to let everyone see the pain Merlin saw earlier.

“Everyone needs to relax, there’s nothing to worry about,” Gaius said, though he didn’t sound completely confident in his words. 

“How can we relax with her here?” Gwaine asked through gritted teeth. The memory of his last encounter with Morgana was still fresh in his mind. Morgana didn’t flinch as his words nor did she react at all.  
“Gwaine,” Gaius said, trying to stop another fight before it could start.

“No, it’s okay, Gaius,” Morgana said. “I can leave if that’s what everyone wants.” She looked directly at everyone in the room. Most were not willing to make eye contact with her and if they did, it did not last long. Since no one protested for her to stay, Morgana got her answer from their silence. A small part of her was hurt, which was a surprise, but she wasn’t going to let them know.

Without another word, Morgana turned on her heel to leave but was stopped by Merlin grabbing her arm. “You don’t have to leave. You have as much a right to be here for this as the rest of us.”

“They don’t want me here like I knew they wouldn’t.” 

“Since when did you do what others wanted you to do? That’s not the Morgana I remember.” A small smile appeared on Morgana but it quickly disappeared when Lance spoke. 

“But how can we trust her, Merlin? She was the cause many or most of the deaths from before. How do we know she won’t do something again?”

Merlin sighed. He knew Lance was justified in his reasoning. There was no denying what happened in their past. “I killed Morgana before,” he started, causing everyone to turn their attention to him. Not everyone knew this. “If she’s willing to stand here next me now, and didn’t try to kill me on the roof a few minutes ago, that should be reason enough to give her the benefit of the doubt for now.” Some started to argue but Merlin continued on, “I know it’s a lot to ask of everyone considering what happened but she is our friend in this time. Let’s try to focus on what’s happening with us instead of turning on each other. And if she does try something,” he glances to Morgana, “I won’t hesitate to stop her.”

“Since Merlin is so confident nothing will happen, you should stay Morgana,” said Arthur, drawing attention to him including Morgana. 

She was quiet for a moment before replying, “No, I’m not going to stay. At this point, I think it’s best for everyone, including myself, if I left. I can tell when I’m not wanted and it won’t accomplish much if I stay here only to cause everyone to feel uncomfortable.” No one tried to stop her as she grabbed her bag and helmet before making her way to the front of the shop, with Merlin right behind her. 

“I wish you would stay,” he said as they stepped outside, shoving his hands into his pockets. 

“I came down off the roof like you asked and I was right in my assumption. I understand their concern. I don’t feel comfortable around them either to be honest.”

“You will come back, right? You’re not running away or something?”

Morgana didn’t respond right away which worried Merlin. “No, I’m not running away,” she eventually said. “I just need to be alone to rediscover who I am. My past is darker than everyone else’s and I need to figure where I stand now.”

Merlin watched her walk to her Vespa. “Don’t you want to know what Gaius has to say about this? If it hadn’t been for you talking to him about this before, we would be completely lost right now.”

“I’ll talk to him later on alone,” she answered as she pulled her helmet on and sat down on the bike. “Don’t worry, Merlin, I’m not leaving forever. I still want to hear why Lance punched you.” She flashed him a smile before starting up the bike.

Merlin quickly walked toward her before she pulled away. “And Morgana, I was serious about what I said back there. If you do try something, I will stop you.”

Morgana looked up at him and smiled. “I would expect you to.” Without another word, she pulled into the street and was gone. Merlin waited until she was out of sight before returning to the others. 

Everyone was already back into their discussion as Merlin entered. He took his spot against the wall, crossing his arms and listened.

“I’m still wrapping my mind around the fact that we’re really the characters from the Arthurian Legends. Why is this happening?” Gwen asked Gaius. 

The old man sighed. “That I wish I knew. I haven’t been able to determine the cause for this.”

“What do you think, Merlin?” Arthur asked, glancing to him. 

“Why are you asking me? I’m just as lost as everyone else about this.”

“I just thought you might have some insight because of your…magic… or if you had cast some spell before that would cause something like this or if you’ve remembered something we weren’t a part of.”

Merlin began to argue that he didn’t know anything but closed his mouth as Arthur’s last comment jogged something in his memory. “Well, there was something that Kilgharrah said to me after I took you to the Lake of Avalon. He said you would return one day but didn’t give any specific details as to how or when. Right after closing last night, an old man came in spouting off some cryptic stuff like Kilgharrah used to so. He mentioned something about us meeting today and that it was destiny…son of a bitch.”

“What is it?”

“I hadn’t thought about the man with how crazy today has been but with everything that has come to light recently, that man is Kilgharrah.”

“Sorry to interrupt, but who is Kilgharrah?” Percy asked. 

“The dragon who Uther imprisoned under Camelot that I talked to and eventually released. It’s a long story.” 

“But that doesn’t explain why all of us were brought back, not just Arthur,” stated Gwen. 

“It’s a start though,” said Gaius.

“Where does all of this leave us now?” Lance asked. No one said anything as they pondered the question. 

“We have two choices,” Arthur said, breaking the silence. “We either stay in the past or we embrace this new life we’ve been given.”

“We can’t stay in the past. But should we just carry on with our current lives, you continue being a pop singer and we keep working here like none of this has happened?” asked Gwaine.

“I didn’t mean it like that. We shouldn’t forget the past nor ignore what we have now. We very much are both versions of ourselves. In no way do I think we should ignore what has happened and continue going separate ways. We still have our lives here in this time but we should be together.”

Gaius sighed, covering his face with his hands. “What’s wrong, Gaius?” Gwen asked. 

“Bringing up our current lives made me remember the missing money problem that still has to be dealt with.”

“What missing money?” Arthur asked. 

Gaius removed his hand and looked at the former king. “Why don’t you ask Merlin.” Arthur turned to Merlin, crossing his arms. “What did you do?”

“I…I took the shop’s cash deposit from last night and went to a gambling house to try and win more money but it was not for personal gain.”

“Then why else would you steal it?”

“I wasn’t stealing it!” Merlin said as he threw his hands in the air. “I was just borrowing it. I didn’t think I would lose.”

“That’s always the risk when you gamble, _Mer_ lin.”

“It was using my magic to ensure I wouldn’t lose. I’ve done it before and thought it would work again. But my magic failed in the end.”

“Another reason why you shouldn’t cheat!” Arthur shouted, taking a step toward Merlin.

“I was for the greater good!” Merlin said, raising his voice as well. “In hindsight I admit it wasn’t a very good idea but at the time, I thought it was the only option.”

“Why did you take the money, Merlin?” Gwen asked, bringing Arthur and Merlin back into reality.

“I came across the business agreement in Gaius’ desk last night and freaked out at the idea of this place being sold. I felt like I needed to do something to stop it. I saw how much money Music Town was offering so I figured if I got more than that, we could make an offer with Uther.”

“And you didn’t think that’s what I was trying to do?” Gaius asked.

Merlin looked at the floor, unable to make eye contact with Gaius. “I know that now. I was just trying to help. I didn’t mean to make things worse.”

“How much was lost?” asked Arthur. 

“A little over £9,000.” 

“So that’s why my father was in here earlier today."

Gaius nodded. “He thinks I gave him the deposit. I’m waiting for him to realize I tricked him.”

“Any plans yet on how to fix the situation?” Arthur asked. “We should be prepared before Uther realizes it.”

“I’m still working on that.” Gaius glanced at his watch. “I think we should take a few more minutes to compose ourselves then re-open the shop. We still have a business to run.”

“Oh come on, Gaius. Can’t we have the rest of the day off?” Elyan joked.

“Nice try but that’s not going to work. I want this place back open in fifteen minutes. Merlin, join me in my office.” As Merlin followed Gaius into this office, everyone else start to disperse into small groups. 

Arthur walked over to the couch. “Guinevere, can we talk somewhere in private?” he asked.

“Sure, we can go outside,” she said as she stood up. She led the way to the back door.

“I have a lot of explaining to do,” Arthur said as the door closed behind them. 

“I would say you do.”

“For starters, I want to apologize for what happened today. Merlin and I got wrapped up in the moment but it did not go past kissing.”

“Did you two do anything before?” The look Gwen gave him hurt. 

“No, we did not. It was just you,” Arthur said firmly. 

“I still get the sense you’re keeping something from me. Please tell me.”

Arthur dropped his gaze before he got the courage to look back at Gwen. “I had…have feelings for Merlin, I actually love him and it’s all confusing. I love him and you.” He was surprised when Gwen smiled as she stepped toward him and grabbed his hand, placing each of her hands around his. “Why are you not upset right now and screaming at me or something?”

Gwen raised an eyebrow at him, “Do you want me yell at you?”

“No but it’s what I was expecting.”

Gwen shook her head but continued to smile. “You act like it’s some big secret that you like Merlin. I’m neither blind nor stupid. I saw the way you two looked at each and constantly risked your lives to save one another.”

“But I still loved you,” Arthur interrupted.

“I never doubted that.”

“Why are you so calm about this? I just cheated on you and told you I love my best friend.”

Gwen thought about it for a moment before answering, “This is a new age we’re in with different lives. Technically we aren’t together right now, just in the past, so you didn’t cheat on me by kissing Merlin. I admit, it still hurt a little but I’m okay. I’m happy for you two.”

Arthur wasn’t expecting that. “Are you saying we shouldn’t get back together? You did tell me earlier that you have feelings for me. I thought you would want us to get back together now.”

“Well, you’re not the only one who’s confused about having feelings for two people. Plus, you told me earlier that you were gay so a relationship probably wouldn’t work very well for us.”

“Yes, I did. But who do you have feelings for?”

Gwen blushed as she dropped her gaze. “I thought it would be obvious but it’s Lance.”

Arthur nodded. “Well, that’s makes a lot of sense. I’m surprised you two aren’t already together.”

Gwen’s blush grew. “We’ve both been holding back. Lance actually confessed his feelings to me right after we talked and it didn’t go too well. I’m trying to figure out a way to fix things.”

Arthur reached out and put his hand on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring squeeze. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out if that’s what you really want.”

Gwen looked back up at Arthur. “I think it is what I want, just like I think Merlin is for you.”

Arthur didn’t argue with her and thought about it for a moment. “It’ll feel a little weird though for us not being together.” 

“It will, but I think we’ll be okay. And it’s not like we’re going to stop seeing each other all together. We’ll still be friends, right?”

“Of course we’ll still be friends. So we’re all good then?”

“I think so, for now at least,” Gwen said with a nod.

Gaius walked behind his desk and unlocked one of the drawers, pulling out ancient looking books and newer one with a notebook. He laid them on this desk for Merlin to see. “This is some of the research I’ve been working on after Morgana started telling me about her dreams. Even in this life, I’ve been drawn to what they now refer to as ‘New Age’ so that’s where I started to look first.”

Merlin sat down in the chair in front of the desk and pulled the notebook into his lap. He flipped through the pages as he listened to Gaius go on about what he’d found. “But you haven’t found a definite answer to why we’re back,” he said closing the notebook and placing it back on the desk. 

Gaius leaned against the desk, “No, I was hoping we could figure that out together. Did Kilgharrah say anything else last night when he was here?”

“All he mentioned was that I was destined to meet Arthur today without any explanation.” Merlin leaned forward and rested his arms on the desk. “Oh I remember him asking me a weird question before leaving. It was something about is the story already written or can courageous acts change history. I had no idea what he was talking about and in true Kilgharrah style, he did not elaborate.” 

Gaius pushed himself off the desk and started to pace around the small office. “That’s very interesting.”

“I don’t know whether he was referring to the past with how I tried to save Arthur’s life after Camlann even though he was destined to die or if he meant something that was going to happen now.”

Gaius frowned, “It could be both. I think it would be best if I made a quick trip home and brought back my other books. Maybe there’s something helpful we could find in there.”

Merlin nodded and said, "It’s worth a shot. Do you need me to come with you?”

“Yes, it would speed things up if you helped. The shop should be okay while I’m gone.” Merlin rose from the chair to follow Gaius. “Lance, I’m putting you in charge while I’m out of the shop,” Gaius said once he was out of his office. “I need to get some books from home and I’m taking Merlin with me. I know I can trust you in making sure nothing will happen while I’m gone.” 

“You’ve got nothing to worry about, Gaius,” Lance said.

“We shouldn’t be gone for more than thirty minutes or so,” Gaius said as they left.

Lance waited a couple of minutes to ensure Gaius and Merlin was gone before calling Gwaine and Percy to join him and Elyan back in the lounge. “Since Gaius will be out for a few minutes, I think we should try to come up with a way to help him out with the missing money.”

“Yeah, but who’s got £9,000?” Gwaine asked as he looked at the other three. 

Elyan chuckled, “Don’t look at me. What about you, Lance?”

“Do you think I would still be working here if I had £9,000 just lying around?” 

“I think you would,” said Percy. 

Gwaine laughed. “I think you would, too.” 

Lance shook his head. “You’re probably right. But let’s be serious and get back to coming up with ways to get the money.” 

“I’ve never been good for planning anything,” Gwaine said. 

“What are we planning?” Gwen asked as she and Arthur came back into the room. 

“A way to raise the missing money,” Lance said, glancing back at them. “I was hoping we could come up with something before Gaius gets back.”

“Why don’t you go open the shop back up while we try to come up with something,” Gwen suggested. Lance nodded before going to unlock the front door. 

 

Gaius and Merlin returned to the shop within thirty minutes and took a couple of trips to carry all of the books inside, with the help of Arthur. “What’s all of this for?” he asked after they finished with the last load. 

“All of my research I’ve been doing for Morgana plus some of others books that be of use. I’m hoping there’s something else we might be able to find to help us explain what’s happened,” Gaius explained.

“Do you need some help? I’ve got nothing else to do and I figured it would be good if I stayed here,” offered Arthur.

“A second pair of eyes could help speed things up,” Merlin said. 

Gaius shrugged. “I don’t see why not,” he said as he closed the office door. 

They each grabbed a book at random and sat in one of the chairs. After an hour of finding nothing, Merlin was frustrated. “What if we’re going about this wrong?”

“In what way?” Gaius asked, looking up from his book. 

Merlin marked his place in the book he was reading and closed it. “I mean, like what if we’re still missing something. Why were we, those who are currently present in the store, brought back? And do you think Uther remembers anything?”

Arthur groaned and said, “I hadn’t even thought about him remembering. If he does, that can’t be good. Who else do you think could have been brought back?” Merlin was silent and avoided looking at him. “Who else is back, Merlin?” he demanded.

Merlin glanced up at Arthur before replying, “Mordred.”

“What?” Arthur asked as he snapped the book shut. “How do you know he’s back? Have you seen him?” Mordred was one of the last people he wanted to see now.

“He was in the shop just before you arrived. He was the shoplifter I caught.”

“Son of a bitch,” Arthur muttered. He pushed himself out of his chair and started to pace around the small room. “Of all the people, why was he brought back too? Did he show any signs of remembering like we have?”

Merlin watched Arthur for a moment as he tried to remember. “I don’t think so. He showed up before I started to really remember anything so I didn’t recognize him and he didn’t seem to recognize me either.”

Arthur wasn’t satisfied. “But it cannot be a coincidence that he showed up in the shop today. Has he in been in here before?” 

“This is the first time I’ve seen in him the shop so it can’t be a coincidence. Do you think he will come back if he does remember?”

“I would be surprised if he didn’t,” Gaius said, finally weighing in on the discussion.

Arthur sat back down in the chair, leaning his arms against his knees. “I know we’re all thinking it so I’m just going to ask it. Do we need to worry about other people from before showing up as well?”

“It’s certainly a possibility now. To be honest, I’m surprised with who we know is back already, not that I’m upset that everyone is here. I was under the impression that only Arthur would return one day. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

“That’s comforting,” said Arthur. 

“I suggest we get back to the books and see if there’s any explanation that could help us,” Gaius said as he handed each of them another book to search. 

Another thirty minutes went by in silence before Merlin spoke again. “I keep wondering if there any reason why we were brought back now? Why the 1990s?”

Gaius looked up from his book and asked, “What were the conditions Kilgharrah told you about Arthur returning?” 

“All he said was he’d return when Albion’s need was greatest. He didn’t mention when that would be or that others would return as well.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” Arthur said as Gaius frowned. “I agree. We really need to talk with him and maybe he’ll give us some insight.” 

A knock at the door drew the three men’s attention away from their research. “Yes?” said Gaius. The door cracked open and Lance poked his head in. “Hey, sorry to interrupt but we’ve got something to help with the money issue.”

“Oh, okay. Come in.” Lance pushed the door open further and stepped in with the others standing in the doorway. Gaius looked at all of them. “Before you start, who’s out there working if all of you are back here?”

“Elyan and Percy are out there.”

Gaius nodded. “Okay then, what did you guys come up with?”

Lance handed Merlin a thick envelope. He opened it and saw that it was full of money. “What is this?” he asked, glancing back up at his friends.

“It’s something we pulled together for as a way to help you out,” Gwaine explained. 

“I sold my bike across the street,” said Lance. “And we sold all the buttons Gwen has been making. They were quite popular.”

“We also threw in the money we saved for our band,” Gwaine added. 

“I can help make up the difference. I don’t mind helping at all. I certainly have enough to spare,” Arthur said. 

“No, I can’t accept your money or any of this,” Merlin said and tried to hand Lance the envelope back. 

“Yes, Merlin, take it,” Gwen said.

“I’m not. Lance needs to go get his bike back and the band needs their money to help get them started.”

“But it’s a good start and with Arthur’s help, we can pay back the money that was lost,” Gwen continued, ignoring Merlin. 

“No, this is my mistake. I messed up. I’m the one whose plan failed and I have to fix it. Look, the bold and courageous act of yours did not change the course of history.” The room was silent after his outburst. 

Arthur cleared his throat and said, “This isn’t about the money, is it Merlin?” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Merlin mumbled, not looking at him.

“You didn’t fail before,” Arthur said softly, placing his hand on Merlin’s shoulder. 

Merlin pulled away from his touch. “Yes, I did. I tried to save you but couldn’t and you died.”

“But now I’m alive.”

Merlin looked up Arthur. “I still feel the guilt and the feelings of watching you die in my arms. That’s not something you get over.” 

“Merlin, you don’t have to do this alone,” Gwen said, causing Merlin and Arthur to look up her as they realized everyone was still in the room. “I know you always insist on doing things on your own but we’re more than willing to help you. Yes, your plan failed but that doesn’t mean you have to fix it yourself. Let us help you.”

Merlin looked down at the envelope in his hands, letting it sink in what they were giving up for him. “Come on guys, let’s leave and let them get back to their research,” Lance said. Without another word, he ushered them out of the doorway and closed the door. Merlin continued to stare at the envelope and thought about what Gwen said. He sighed and laid it on the desk before turning back to his book. 

“Stop playing the martyr, Merlin. You’re being ridiculous. There’s no reason why I can’t cover the money. My father is no going to be happy when he finds out,” Arthur said. 

Merlin started to argue but was cut off by Gaius. “I don’t care if Merlin doesn’t want you to help but I will accept it if you’re willing. This matter is too serious to not do anything. But the only problem is, Uther thinks I gave him the deposit already and took it to the bank.”

Arthur thinks about it for a moment. “Who says he has to know you tricked him? We can go to the bank ourselves and not even tell him about it. I can get the money out from my account then you can make the deposit. He’ll never know.”

“But won’t the bank find it odd if two deposits are made?” asked Merlin.

“I could say I gave him the wrong bag,” Gaius said. 

“It could work. Let’s go before Uther can find out,” Arthur said, rising from his chair. “And, Merlin, go give everyone their money back. I’m taking care of all of it.” Merlin nodded as he watched Arthur and Gaius leave the office.

The day passed by relatively uneventful into the evening within the shop after Arthur and Gaius returned, their mission a success. Gwen, Leon, Gwaine and Percy sat in the back catching up with one another.

“Is something wrong, Gwen?” Leon asked when he noticed she had zoned out of the conversation. 

Gwen glanced around and realized everywhere was staring at her. “I miss Morgana,” she said, causing the three of them to give her a concerned look. “I know, I know. I’m quite aware of what’s she’s done but I also remember our friendship now. I wish she was here right now.”

“I know the feeling. I feel pretty conflicted about the situation as well. It’s all so complicated,” Gwaine said.

As if saying her name summoned her, Morgana ran into the room. “Speak of the Devil,” Gwaine said. 

Gwen jumped up from the couch and walked toward her when she realized how distressed Morgana looked. “What’s wrong?”

“Is Merlin still here?” she asked, ignoring the question. 

“Yes, he’s in Gaius’ office,” Gwen answered, confused. 

“Shit. He can’t be here now!” 

“And why is that?” Gwaine asked.

Morgana took a deep breath to try and calm her nerves before responding, “I had another dream while I was taking a nap earlier.” 

“Why don’t you sit down and tell us about it. Maybe it’s not as bad as it seems,” Gwen suggested as she tried to move her to the couch.

Morgana stood her ground. “There’s no time. I have to see Merlin and warn him.” Leon was on his feet and darted to the office door, throwing the door open. After a couple of words, Merlin and Arthur ran into the room. 

“What is it, Morgana?” Merlin asked, stopping in front of her with Arthur next to him.

“I saw Mordred in my dream. He was in the shop trying to kill Merlin. We need to get you out of here.”

Merlin’s eyes widened but he didn’t comment right away. He looked at Arthur to see a calm expression on his face. “I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “I’m not running away.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Merlin,” Morgana said.

“No, I’m not leaving. If he is coming here, I need to be here.”

Morgana rolled her eyes. Arthur threw his hands up and said, “Enough you two. We don’t have time for arguing. What exactly happened in your dream?”

 

Lance and Elyan stood behind the register, talking away they waited for customers. Lance glanced at the door when he heard the bell ring and saw Mordred enter. “Mordred, you know you can’t be in the shop. You need to leave or I’ll call the police.” 

Elyan’s head snapped up when he heard the name. “Mordred?” he said as Mordred walked toward them.

“You know him?” Lance asked. 

Before Elyan could answer, Mordred spoke. “You can’t tell me what to do, Lance.” He pulled gun from his jacket pocket and pointed it at Lance. 

Lance didn’t back down. “What are you doing with a gun?”

Mordred inched closer, “What do you think I’m doing with a gun?” he asked as he pulled the trigger.

 

“What was that?” Gwen asked when they heard the gunshot. Everyone ran to the door to look through the window.

“Holy shit!” Mordred pointed the gun away, he hadn’t intended on pulling the trigger like that. The customers in the store dropped to the floor and hid where they could. 

“Why don’t you let these people go? What do you say?” Lance said, trying to distract Mordred. Elyan tried to sneak around the counter to get to Mordred but was stopped when the gun was pointed at him.

“Good try, Lance. You’re trying to distract me? I’m not that dumb. No one is going anywhere.” Mordred kept the gun up as he backed up to see around the store better.

“What do you want, Mordred?” Elyan asked. 

“Merlin Emrys.”

 

“Mordred’s shooting up the place,” Gaius said. 

“Lance and Elyan are out there! We have to help them,” Gwen said. Merlin grabbed her before she could run out there door. 

“They’re fine at the moment. Everybody stand back, okay? We’ll help them but we don’t to rush out without a plan and make things worse. First, I’m calling the police.” Gaius backed away from the door.

Despite his words, no one obeyed Gaius as they all slid out the door once he was in his office. They kept out of sight as they tried to get as close to Mordred as they could, except Morgana. She stood tall as she walked straight up to him. “Give me the gun, Mordred,” she demanded when she was a few feet away from him. 

Mordred whipped around, automatically pointing the gun at her. “Hello, Morgana,” he said as he recognized her. “Come to help me?”

“No. I came here to stop you,” she replied firmly. Mordred tilted his head to the right, unsure of what to say.

“Morgana, what are you doing?” Merlin asked, edging close to her.

“I want to have a little chat with Mordred,” she said glancing at Merlin before focusing back on Mordred. “You remember me?” She took another step toward him but stopped when his hand tightened on the gun. 

“Bits and pieces. What the hell is happening to me?” he asked through gritted teeth. 

“Why don’t you put the gun down and we can talk about it?”

Mordred smiled as he shook his head. “I think we both know I don’t need this gun to harm anyone, just like I know that you and Merlin have the power to stop me. But if you try, I’m not against using this on someone. I’d prefer not but let’s not push it.”

Merlin slowly rose from his crouched position and walked over to Morgana. “I’m right here, Mordred. What is it that you want?”

“I want you to explain to me what is happening with me. Ever since I met you today, I feel like I’m going mad. What did you do to me?” Mordred asked, turning all his attention to Merlin.

“I didn’t do anything to you.”

“Don’t lie to me!” Mordred screamed, taking a couple of steps toward Merlin and Morgana. “I can’t stop seeing thing involving all of you. Why do I know all of you if I’ve never met you before.”

“Just let the customers go. They have nothing to do with this,” Merlin said. “Don’t make this worse than it already is.” He watched Mordred’s eyes dart around the room at the cowering customers. 

“Fine, everyone out now!” Mordred shouted. The customers scrambled out the door. “So, are you going to tell me what’s happening now that we’re alone?”

“What you’ve been seeing actually happened in the past. We’re still figuring out the exact details but the short version is, the Arthurian legends are true and we’re all the reborn souls of the people in the stories. That’s why you’re starting to have the memories,” Merlin explained. 

Mordred was silent for a moment as he weighed his options. “Alright, I’ll go with them,” he finally said. “But you better hold up your end of the deal. I’m not looking forward to going back to jail.”

“I promise I’ll talk with you as soon as it’s possible,” Merlin said. 

Mordred slowly lowered the gun and laid it on the floor. Everyone watched him make his way toward the door, raising his hands to show they were empty. A couple of officers rushed forward to handcuff him and usher him into the back of a police car. Another couple of officers entered the shop to check on everyone and figure out that happened.

Gwen rushed to Elyan and Lance once they were done talking with the officers and was grateful to see they were unharmed. She threw her arms around Lance first. “I was so worried about you two. I thought he shot you.”

“He aimed at me but I wasn’t hit. I think he had blanks in the gun,” replied Lance. 

“I’m fine too by the way,” Elyan said to Gwen. She pulled away from Lance and hugged Elyan. 

“Sorry, he was the first person I got to. I’m relieved you’re okay as well.”

Once the officers had the info they needed, they left.

“There’s a news reporter outside,” Percy said. “Shall we see what they’re saying about the situation?” The group made their way into the back room to where the television was located.

“I’ll be right back,” Gwaine said as he ran out of the store. No one paid him much attention as they turned the TV on.

 _“So the perpetrator will be taken to Juvenile Hall and likely charged with assault with a deadly weapon, possibly even kidnapping,” the news reporter said._

“No one was kidnapped. They sure like to exaggerate,” said Gwen.

Gwaine came into view on the screen. “What the hell is he doing?” Arthur said. 

_“I saw the whole thing go down. You see, I work here,” Gwaine said to the reporter._

_Instead of trying to get Gwaine to leave, the reporter went along with it. “Joining us is an eyewitness to the scene. An employee of the store who saw it. Tell us what happened.”_

_Gwaine flashed the camera his best smile, “This guy here kind of wigged out and all, but that's beside the point. We're having a get-together here tonight. There's gonna be free admission, live music, hits, chicks. The full nine yards, man. It'll be heavy shit. Here at midnight.”_

_The reporter shifted uncomfortably as the camera moved to cut Gwaine out of the shot. “We're live on the air right now. That's the story – ”_

_Gwaine jumped in front of the reporter, cutting him off and said, “Anybody can come. Here at midnight. Party on, man! For the love of Camelot!” And with that, the newscast cut back to the news anchors._

A couple of minutes later, Gwaine entered the employee room, grinning like a fool. 

“What the hell was that about?” Arthur asked. 

“Since the shop is about to be sold and there’s no guarantee we’ll still have a job here, I thought we should have a little party to celebrate the good times we’re had here and say goodbye. Don’t you guys agree?” he glanced around the room, waiting for their responses. 

“You couldn’t have said something sooner?” Merlin said. 

Gwaine shrugged. “It was a spur of the moment kind of thing.”

“We can have the band play!” Elyan said. Lance and Percy agreed. 

“I’ve got a ton of cupcakes left over at home that I could get,” added Gwen.

Everyone eventually turned to Gaius for his reaction since he’d remained silent. “What do you say, Gaius?” Gwaine asked as his smile faded away. 

“Well, you already announced this party so we can’t go back on it now, can we?” 

“You mean it, Gaius?” Gwaine asked. 

“Yes. If this shop is about to be sold, we might as well go out with a party,” Gaius said. 

“Where’s Gaius and what have you done with him?” Merlin asked, getting a laugh from everyone.

“This is still your responsibility and I’m taking no part in it. Have fun,” he said as he retreated to his office.

“Let’s start setting up then! We only have a couple of hours until the store closes so we need to get started now,” Gwen said before she started giving out orders on what needed to be done.

Merlin, Lance, Percy, and Gwaine were in charge of making space for the band to set up while Leon and Elyan left to get their equipment from the house with Gwen in tow to get the cupcakes. Morgana, Merlin, and Arthur made themselves busy, helping wherever they could. 

While she was away from the shop, Gwen couldn’t stop thinking about Lance. She felt like if she didn’t talk to him, she would explode. As soon as she returned, Gwen made her way over to Lance. “Sorry, guys, but I need to borrow Lance for a moment.” She avoided the look Merlin was shooting her as they walked away to a more private location, which turned out to be outside.

“What do you need help with?” Lance asked once they were alone. 

“I was actually wanted us to talk.”

“Talk about what?”

Gwen bit her bottom lip. “I wanted to talk about earlier.”

Lance took a step back toward the door. “We don’t have to talk about that. It’s fine, Gwen.”

“Lance, we need to talk about it.” 

“Really, Gwen, we don’t. It’s okay. We should probably get back in there and finish setting things up.” Lance reached for the door handle when Gwen snapped. 

“No, Lance,” she said with a little more force than she had originally. It got the desired effect when Lance stopped even though he wouldn’t look at her. “I know that I blew it earlier today on the roof and you probably don’t care for me anymore but I wanted you to know I did love you and I still do. Only I didn't realize it was love because it was more than love and it wasn't just some stupid feeling in my stomach.” Lance slowly looked up at her but remained silent. “Please say something.”

“What about Arthur? I thought you loved him,” he said quietly. 

Gwen stepped toward him. “I did and still do a little but not in the same way I feel about you. What matters is that I want to be with you, Lance, though I understand if you’re not interested anymore.”

Lance looked at her in disbelief. “Why would I not still be interested? I’ve never stopped loving you, Gwen,” he said, a smile starting to appear. Gwen threw her arms around Lance’s neck, nearly knocking them to the ground. 

The door behind them opened and Gwaine’s head pocked out. “Hey…oh sorry to interrupt but I need to borrow Lance for a few minutes, then you can have him back, Gwen.” Gwen pulled away from Lance so they could follow Gwaine back into the shop. Nothing could wipe the grins off their faces. 

The clock struck midnight and the group was excited when the first people started to show up. After that, people were rolling in and the little shop was packed. It was better than any of them could have imagined. But there was an unexpected guest.

Uther stormed through the shop and straight to the back to find Gaius. He was fuming when he laid eyes on the older man as he exited his office. “Gaius! What is going on here? Why do I get the feeling that I am being royally screwed?” 

Gaius looked at Uther unfazed by his outburst. “Because you are, Uther,” he said as he walked to him. “Seeing how you’re selling the place, I don’t see why you care so much.”

“I still own it for now so I don’t appreciate what’s going on.”

“Uther, this is some party. I mean it's a hell of a turn-out.” Uther turned to see Merlin enter the room. He narrowed his eyes at him, trying to place where he’d seen him from. “Who are you?”

“I’m Merlin. I still work here.”

Uther stared at Merlin for a moment. “How could I forget? Look, we're talking –”

“I wanted to talk to you about this Music Town thing,” Merlin interrupted, stopping next to Gaius. “Next week, you'll be the owner of one of the many Music Towns across this great land, correct?”

Uther crossed his arms, becoming impatient, “Yes.”

“You like it because Music Town raises prices, so you make more money,” Merlin continued. 

“You're a smart boy.”

“When Music Town comes in, Gaius is out. Lance is out. All the beautiful little tattooed, gum-chewing freaks are out as well. And it pretty much goes without saying that I'm out.”

“Wish it had gone without saying, but you won't shut up,” Uther said. 

Before Merlin could continue, Gaius cut him off. “What I think Merlin is trying to say is that I'm going to open my own store.”

Uther stepped closer to Gaius. “You don't have the start-up capital.”

“Yes, he does,” Merlin said as Gaius said, “No, I don't. But I will. I will get it.” Gaius side stepped around Uther and started to walk away with Merlin in tow. Before reaching the door, he turned back and said, “Uther, I quit.” He threw his arm around Merlin’s shoulders and exited the room, leaving Uther in stunned silence. “I can’t believe how many people showed up. I’ve never seen this place so full of people,” he said as he looked around the room.

Merlin nodded. “Always good to go out with a bang, right?” he said with a smile. 

“You knew, didn’t you?” Gaius asked, glancing at Merlin.

“About what?”

“Everything. About me, what I wanted to do.”

Merlin shrugged his shoulders. “I knew you weren’t happy. We can be sentimental later, let’s enjoy the party.” 

Uther walked up to Gaius. “Look, Gaius. I hate this place. You love it. Let me sell it to you. Cheap.”

“What about your deal with Music Town? I thought you were selling the place to them?”

“They backed out of the deal today. I have no interest in keeping this shop with the way music sales are declining. But if you want, it’s yours.”

Gaius grinned and clapped Uther on the shoulder. “Thanks, you won’t regret it. We can discuss the details tomorrow.” He turned away before Uther could say anything else. Arthur appeared in the crowd next to him. “Gaius, could I speak with you for a moment?”

“Sure, what is it?”

“Merlin told me about your interest in starting your own music shop and I was wondering if you were looking for a business partner?” 

Gaius studied him for a moment. “And what do you know about running a business?”

“I don’t know much but I know you do and I have the means to support it.”

The older man smiled. “Come by here tomorrow morning and we’ll start going over the details. I’ve just acquired a building curtsey of your father.” 

 

A few hours passed and the crowd had thinned out. Merlin leaned against the railing on the second floor, looking down at the shop. “Lovely party you had.” Merlin looked to his right, seeing the old man from the night before approaching him. “Nice to see you again, Kilgharrah,” he greeted.

The man smiled. “So you remember me now. That’s good.” 

“In a way I guess. Did you have anything to do with this?”

Kilgharrah laughed. “No, I did not. I’ve never been able to influence the future, I just see it. And before you ask, I did not see all of this happening exactly like this. I only knew Arthur would return in time.”

“I guess I can’t ask you why this happened to of all us then.”

“Even if I knew, I would not tell you,” Kilgharrah replied with a laugh. 

Merlin laughed with him. “Figures.” 

“Have you thought about my question I asked you last night?”

“I actually have. At first it didn’t make any sense but I think I know what you were going for. Last time, I tried to defy fate but didn’t change anything. That story was already written before I was born and there was nothing I could do about it. I’ve accepted that now.” 

Kilgharrah stared at Merlin with a curious expression. “I’m impressed.”

Merlin shrugged, “I just have a new perspective I guess.”

“What are you going to do with this second life you’ve been given?”

Merlin took a moment to think of an answer as he looked around the room, spotting his friends. Morgana was smiling like she did when they first met, Gwen was happy in Lance’s arms, and Arthur was alive. The blond glanced over and smiled when they made eye contact. “I’m going to enjoy it.”

“Hey, Merlin, come join us!” Arthur shouted. 

Merlin turned to Kilgharrah. “It’s been nice talking to you. We should do it again sometime.” He pushed himself off the railing without waiting for a reply and made his way down the stairs. He walked over to his friends, sliding his arm around Arthur’s waist. He grinned as Arthur pressed a kiss against his temple. Yes, Merlin was going to enjoy this life.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you've enjoyed this! Make sure you send some love to Puckboum for the art.
> 
> You can find me on tumblr [here](feelsandfandoms.co.vu).


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